Trust
by meangenius
Summary: A terrible fight between friends. A strange and handsome newcomer. A newfound love wrought of trust, of hope, of tears and betrayal and despair. A stolen kiss... or given willingly? When friendships are torn apart, sometimes our judgment slips.
1. A Bad Start

Hey, guys! I decided to do another story, and then had this really great idea for a trilogy. That's right - three stories! That'll bring me up to a grand total of four. I look forward to writing these, and I hope you enjoy reading them. I got the idea while we were in D.C., and I've been dying to start ever since. Now that I've got my computer back, I'm going to write the first few chapters. I already know what I want to happen throughout the entire thing, so it shouldn't take long to update each time.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Inuyasha characters... but neither do you! Hah!

Enjoy!

* * *

"Inuyasha, SIT!"

_Thump. _

It started out just like any other day. Kagome was trying to get through the well to her time, and Inuyasha was trying – and failing – to stop her.

"Inuyasha, move! I have to take this test. It's only for a day-"

"A day that we could've spent getting closer to Naraku!" he interrupted angrily.

Kagome gritted her teeth. Inuyasha was adorable when he was nice, but when he was annoying like this, she really wanted to just punch him right in the kisser. Containing her anger, she glared at him, her eyes flashing dangerously. "Do I have to say the word again?"

Inuyasha's eyes widened. "Hey, no, wait-"

"Sit!"

"Agh!"

Sango sighed, shaking her head at the two. "They'll be at this all day."

Miroku nodded. "Inuyasha should have learned by now that he can't stop Kagome when she's in one of those moods. It's like trying to stop lightning with a stick."

Shippo smirked as Inuyasha was slowly pummeled deeper and deeper into the ground. "He's so stupid."

Sango sat down next to the monk, watching as Kagome stepped triumphantly over Inuyasha's twitching body and leaped into the well with a wave to them. "He does bring it upon himself. You'd think he'd learn after a while, but he just keeps on going. Kagome's going to kill him before too long with that necklace."

Inuyasha grumbled, but couldn't get up. "Stupid arrogant girl…"

Sango rolled her eyes, turning from him and stroking Kirara, who purred happily and nuzzled her hand.

An instant later, a furious yell rang through the air, quickly followed by a slap, and Miroku was thrown from his seat onto the ground. Sango stood over him, fuming, and he shrank back slightly at the look on her face. "Will – you – quit – doing – that?" she hissed. "You're worse than Inuyasha!"

"What did you say?" Inuyasha shouted from where he was still stuck to the ground.

Sango spun on her heel and stormed off.

Shippo looked sympathetically at Miroku. "She's right, you know. You never learn to stop groping her, and you get slapped every time."

Miroku grumbled. "She didn't have to hit so hard," he said grumpily.

Sango walked angrily into the woods. She didn't care where she was going, as long as it was away from Miroku. She'd put up with his groping for long enough. She was tired of it. Miroku was such a nasty pervert… and he was really starting to get on her last nerves. He just couldn't take a hint, that guy. He had some nerve, taking advantage of innocent women like that…

Inuyasha got up, growling angrily and stalking over to leap into a tree, cursing Kagome darkly. His back felt like it would never be the same. That stupid girl with her stupid tests… she was holding them all up. They should just go out and find the shards without her. He didn't need her…

Miroku sat down heavily, rubbing the side of his face and telling himself that he wouldn't be groping Sango again anytime soon. Usually it was all fun and games, and they forgave one another, but he could tell – partially by the force of the slap – when she was really getting angry, and this was the worst it had ever been. He was just playing around, she didn't have to hit him so hard…

Shippo groaned, rolling his eyes. They were all being so stupid. Kirara glanced up at him and nodded wisely in agreement.

VVVVVVV

Kagome could hardly concentrate on her test, she was so pissed off at Inuyasha. _That arrogant jerk thinks he can just tell me what to do all the time, _she thought angrily. _Well, he's wrong. _She turned her attention back to the paper, but felt her thoughts keep wandering.

Furious, she filled in the rest of the blanks and slammed her pencil down, earning a few looks from the students around her. Clenching her fists, she rested her forehead against the desk and tried to calm herself down. She'd need to finish out the rest of the day, and she couldn't do it while she was furious at everyone and everything. She couldn't let Inuyasha ruin her day. Just because he was such a stupid, lousy, rotten, stuck-up, selfish, arrogant…

No, she wasn't going to think about him.

But, as always, the hanyou invaded her thoughts anyway. Kagome spent the rest of the class burning her anger out by imagining every possible painful way she could slaughter the dog-demon when she got back. Not only had he tried to stop her from taking the test, he'd made her miss most of the answers and probably fail it anyway.

Man, was he going to get it when she got back…

VVVVVVV

The next morning, when she returned to the Feudal era, the others were waiting for her. Sango was still ignoring Miroku, and he was doing the same to her – his cheek still stung from the other day. Kirara and Shippo both looked fed up with the rest of the group. Inuyasha was sulking, up in his tree, waiting impatiently for her to come back.

"Finally," he muttered as she stepped out of the well. "Took you long enough, wench."

Kagome glared at him, feeling the anger welling up inside of her. "Sit!"

Inuyasha slammed painfully into the ground again. "What the hell was that for?"

"Sit sit sit sit sit sit sit!" she chanted angrily before turning away and joining Sango and Miroku, both of whom welcomed her back somewhat sullenly. She immediately saw that they were angry with one another and sighed inwardly.

Shippo nodded sympathetically and clambered up onto her shoulder. "Sango and Miroku had a fight. The usual: he groped, she slapped, they stormed off. Inuyasha's been sulking since you left."

Kagome stalked off, leading the group and ignoring Inuyasha, who rose unsteadily to follow.

"Stupid lousy dirty rotten…" they all muttered under their breath. Shippo and Kirara glanced at each other in exasperation.

The group spent the next few hours walking in relative silence. None of them spoke to any of the others – Sango and Miroku, though having no reason to fight with Kagome, could sense her foul mood, and wisely stayed away from her. Inuyasha ignored them all, and they followed his example, none of them wanting to apologize, all of them thinking it was someone else's fault.

Shippo kept quiet, knowing that if he spoke up he'd get attacked from four different directions. They were all in foul moods, and he knew better than to interfere – unlike Inuyasha and Miroku, he could take a hint, and knew when his opinion wasn't needed or wanted.

Late into the day they walked, until finally Shippo spoke up, just to ask that they rest. They flopped down on the ground, all of them still in a huff, and spread out away from one another to rest. Inuyasha leaped into a tree, Kagome spread out a sleeping bag grumpily, and Sango and Miroku moved to sit at opposite ends of the clearing from one another. Shippo wisely decided to leave Kagome alone and went to sleep against Kirara's warm body. They were the only ones who slept soundly that night, as the others were too busy grumbling to get any rest.


	2. Stranger

Okay, here's the next chapter. I think I'm starting to get used to this new story. It's been a while since I finished Living for Love, and I'm happy to be writing again. I just have to get used to the new fanfiction and not drabble off into the old one...

Disclaimer: Inuyasha isn't mine. Neither are any of his pals. But the awesome Sesshie action figure is mine, and the Inu poster in my closet… heh…

* * *

Their bad moods had still not receded the next morning, and they ate breakfast in cold silence. The unnerving quiet of the sunrise was broken finally by a strange sound that reached Inuyasha's ears. The hanyou rose, narrowing his eyes and casting aside the roasted rat he'd been chewing. It sounded like a fight, and it was pretty close to them.

Shippo looked up at him. "You hear that?"

"Of course I hear that, twerp," Inuyasha growled, and the kitsune fell silent, grumbling to himself. Inuyasha put a hand on Tetsusaiga, sniffing the air.

"What is it?" Miroku asked, rising and taking ahold of his staff.

"Naraku," Inuyasha growled, and leaped into the air, not offering to carry Kagome as he usually did. She huffed, and Kirara offered to carry her. Sango pushed Miroku off and helped Kagome up in his place. The monk grumbled and ran alongside the cat, panting, angry at Sango once again.

They emerged a moment later into a wide clearing, taking the scene in at a glance.

A massive demon, tall and dark and extremely ugly, was glaring down at a young man. The stranger was on his back, having been knocked off his feet, and had his arms raised to protect his face from the blow they knew was coming.

Tetsusaiga whistled through the air and sliced the demon's arm off. It screamed in rage and pain, its three eyes turning to rest on Inuyasha, who smirked and landed on the ground, brandishing his sword.

Pushing aside their anger towards one another, Sango and Miroku moved to stand before the young man, who looked surprised to still be alive. He sent them a grateful look, shakily rising to his feet to watch the fight.

Inuyasha was darting around the demon, delivering blow after blow as it twisted and turned, trying to keep up with him. It was slow; he had the obvious advantage. But at the same time, its hide was thick, and the Tetsusaiga barely drew blood. The frustrated hanyou drew back, glaring at the demon, and as it turned to face him, another member of the group caught its eye.

Kagome notched an arrow on her bow, glaring at the demon as it drew itself up for one last attack. She never gave it the chance. Her arrow shot through the air, gathering power as it went, and pierced the tough skin, slamming directly into his heart. The demon was purified instantly, reduced to nothing more than dust on the wind and a single jewel shard, which Kagome picked up and merged with the rest of their shards.

Immediately she turned to get a look at the man they'd saved. He was tall, with dark eyes and hair, and his face was handsome, much fairer than any man Kagome'd ever seen before. He looked slightly embarassed to have been caught in such a position of weakness, and gave them a smile of gratitude that lit up his features beautifully in the morning sunlight.

Inuyasha broke the silence, sheathing Tetsusaiga sharply. "Who're you?" he snapped, bad mood returning.

The man bowed down to them respectfully. "My name is Makoto. Thank you for saving my life."

Kagome smiled at him brightly, laughing silently at Inuyasha's glowering look. "You're welcome, Makoto," she replied. "I'm Kagome. It's nice to meet you."

Makoto bowed his head to her and took her hand, placing a soft kiss on the back. "The pleasure is all mine, Lady Kagome," he said smoothly, ignoring Inuyasha's glare, smiling slightly at Kagome's blush. He glanced around at the others. "And who may you all be, to whom I now owe my life?"

"I'm Sango, and this is Miroku, Shippo, and Kirara," Sango said with a cheerful smile. She, too, was quite taken by the polite young stranger, to Miroku's disgust. "That's Inuyasha."

Makoto nodded to them all. "You have my eternal gratitude."

"Don't mention it," Kagome laughed. "So, why were you fighting Naraku?"

"I am a mere traveler," he sighed, "and I came across this demon, which attacked me before I could react. I did not know it was this 'Naraku.' Did you know him?"

"Oh, that wasn't Naraku," Miroku said, shaking his head. "It was one of his demons."

Makoto raised his eyebrows. "Oh?"

Sango nodded. "We've been trying to destroy him for a long time now," she said glumly. "He's a slimy one, and he always manages to get away somehow."

For a moment, Miroku thought he saw the faintest trace of amusement in the man's eyes. Just as quickly, he was convinced he had imagined it, for Makoto's innocent look could not have been mistaken for anything else. "That is unfortunate," the stranger was saying.

"Yeah," Kagome sighed.

Makoto got a thoughtful look on his face. "I owe you a debt for my life," he said after a moment, "and I am compelled to remain with you until I have returned the favor and repaid my debt. Perhaps in assisting your hunt for this 'Naraku,' I will be able to do so."

Kagome grinned, overjoyed. "Oh, would you?"

"If it pleases you, Lady Kagome," he smiled silkily.

"Of course it does! Welcome to the group!" she said happily.

Miroku and Inuyasha exchanged a glance, unsure about this new development. Could they really just trust this guy, after meeting him not five minutes ago? The girls seemed to think so, as Kagome and Sango were already chatting with him, smiling brightly at the newcomer, having already accepted him. Makoto took it all in stride, smiling back at them and listening as they explained about who Naraku was. Shippo and Kirara eyed him warily for a few moments, but when he made no move against the girls, the two young demons relaxed.

The group began to move onward, having gained another member. Makoto leaned down and picked up two twin swords from the ground – his weapons. Strapping them to his belt, he followed Kagome and Sango, with Shippo and Kirara alongside them.

Inuyasha stalked after them, and Miroku followed with a sigh. As they walked onward, leaving the remnants of Naraku's demon behind, the wary hanyou's hand never strayed from Tetsusaiga, and his eyes never left Makoto. He didn't know who the guy was or why he'd shown up so suddenly, but Inuyasha didn't like the guy. A glance at Miroku would have shown the same distrust, as the monk's fist was clenched around his staff, and his fingers strayed unconsciously to the prayer beads on his wrist as he eyed the stranger.

If Makoto noticed this, he did not speak, and they walked on in relative peace.


	3. A Test of Trust

Hey again! Before I start writing the third chapter, let me thank silveryuki06 for her review. Yeah, Shippo and Kirara are the only ones in the group that're sane… anyway, thanks for reviewing and hope you like the next chapter. That goes for all of you!

Disclaimer: I don't own Inu… but Makoto's mine! Hah!

* * *

Minutes turned into hours as the day wore on, and by sunset both Kagome and Sango were charmed by Makoto's neverendingly cheerful mood. He was a gentleman, always polite and never without a smile on his face. Both the girls thought he was the most delightful being they'd ever laid eyes on. 

Inuyasha and Miroku hated him.

How could they not? He was stealing their girls away from them, for pity's sake! The man knew when to laugh, when to comment, and when to keep his mouth shut. He appeared to be, in all ways known to mankind, perfect.

"It has not escaped my notice," Makoto said quietly to the two girls, "that Inuyasha and Miroku have been glaring at our backs for quite a while."

Sango turned her nose up. "They're jerks."

Kagome nodded. "Yeah, that's for sure."

Makoto raised his eyebrows. "Oh?"

"Miroku's a horrible pervert," Sango informed him, exasperated and angry once more. "It seems like every minute of every day, all he's doing is thinking of the right time and place to grope someone – usually me. He's such a lech, and so annoying! He just can't keep his hands to himself!"

"I can understand how that would be frustrating," Makoto nodded, almost laughing. So the monk had a hidden side to him, did he? That was interesting…

Kagome was nodding. "You know what, Makoto? One of the first things he ever said to me was to ask whether I would bear his child. How sad is _that? _I've never met a guy more perverted than him! It's disgusting!" She and Sango both shivered.

Makoto smiled slightly. "That is indeed sad. I cannot speak for him, but you are in no danger of such atrocities by my hand."

Kagome grinned and linked arms with him. "Thanks, Makoto!"

The newcomer smiled at her. "You are welcome, Lady Kagome."

"Oh, you can stop with the Lady thing," she said, waving a hand. "Just call me Kagome. We're friends now, right? Friends don't go around calling each other Lord and Lady!"

"As you wish, Kagome," he said, bowing his head.

Sango rolled her eyes as she heard Miroku and Inuyasha arguing behind them. Makoto's sharp eyes didn't miss this, and he cocked his head. "For a group who travels together," he commented, "you don't seem to like one another very much. Why are you so angry with Inuyasha and Miroku?"

"I'm mad at Miroku because he won't keep his hands to himself," Sango hissed venomously, sending the monk a death glare that got him angry at her all over again.

"Inuyasha's a lousy idiot," Kagome announced to Makoto with a scowl. "He thinks everything's about him, and he's selfish and stuck-up."

"Why do you say that?" Makoto asked, glancing back at the hanyou, who was glowering at them.

Kagome hesitated. She liked Makoto a lot, but she didn't completely trust him, no matter how nice or charming or polite he may seem. She certainly didn't trust him enough to tell him about the well and the fact that she was from the future. "Well," she said carefully, "I'm not from around here, and every once in a while I have to go home for a little bit – usually no more than a day or two." Good, that didn't reveal anything important. "But Inuyasha gets really mad, and tries to stop me, and then we get into a fight and he won't ever let it go."

Makoto looked surprised. "If it is his fault, Kagome-"

"Which it is," she growled.

"-then why does he not apologize?"

Kagome threw her hands up in the air. "That's exactly what I say! See, you understand. Inuyasha should just apologize, and then we wouldn't be so mad at each other! But _no, _he has to go sulking off and wait for _me _to say that I'm sorry, when I had nothing to do with it!"

"Why should you have to apologize to him?" Makoto questioned as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. "From what I have heard, the argument was not your fault."

Kagome smiled at him. "You're so understanding, Makoto."

The stranger smiled back down at her as they walked. "I am surprised anyone would wish to stay angry with such a kind, wonderful young lady."

Blushing, Kagome laughed, beaming at him.

Sango sighed dejectedly, scuffing at the ground with her foot. "I guess I should apologize to Miroku. I mean, he groped me and started the whole thing, but I did slap him pretty hard…"

"You had every right to," Makoto reassured her kindly. "I would expect no less."

Sango smiled brightly at him, amazed at how considerate he could be. "Thanks, Makoto."

Inuyasha and Miroku sulked from behind them. "Why do they like him so much?" Inuyasha grumbled. "He's not all that great. It's obvious he's just sucking up to them."

"It's working well," Miroku said dolefully. "What does he have that we don't?"

"Intelligence," Shippo muttered, and flinched when Inuyasha glared at him sourly. "Seriously, can't you two see? He actually tries to get along with them. Observe: he's not yelling, and he's not groping. There's your problem right there."

The two grumbled, and sulked some more, as Shippo caught up with the others.

"Hey, Makoto," he said cheerfully, jumping up onto Kagome's shoulder.

"Shippo," the man said, acknowledging the kitsune with a nod.

Kagome ruffled Shippo's hair affectionately. "Get tired of Inuyasha?"

"Yeah," Shippo nodded, glaring back at the hanyou, who crossed his arms stubbornly. "They're both stubborn and idiotic. All Miroku thinks about is women, and all Inuyasha thinks about is himself."

Kagome smirked. "And ramen. Which reminds me…" She raised her voice so the hanyou could hear her. "I'm never going to bring him ramen ever again! Serves him right for being such a jerk!"

Inuyasha's ears perked up at that. "Hey!" he shouted angrily, stalking towards them, eyes blazing.

Makoto immediately stepped in front of him. "Calm yourself, Inuyasha," he said firmly. "It's not worth you getting angry over. I am sure Kagome didn't mean it." He heard Kagome snort from behind him, but ignored her.

Growling under his breath, Inuyasha turned away from them and stuck up his nose at Makoto, who moved to walk between the two girls once again. Shippo looked very impressed. "Wow, Makoto, you actually stopped Inuyasha from getting into a fight with Kagome!" the kitsune exclaimed. "That's hard to do. I never manage it. It's a good thing, too; they probably would've killed each other."

Sango smiled at the image. "Inuyasha would do anything for ramen."

"Selfish, selfish," Kagome sighed.

Makoto merely smiled. "It is getting dark. Would you prefer to stop for the night, or continue on?"

"We should stop," Sango said, yawning. "I'm starting to get tired. Oh, great timing, Makoto – I think I can see a hot spring! I need a bath… Kagome, want to come?"

Kagome nodded enthusiastically. "Sure, Sango! Great idea."

They stopped and set up camp. Miroku started a fire, pointedly ignoring both Makoto and Sango. Inuyasha leaped into a tree and ignored everyone. Sango took two towels from Kagome's bag and got ready to go down to the hot springs as Shippo and Kirara relaxed.

"Sango," Kagome hissed, drawing her friend over.

The demon-slayer tiptoed over to Kagome, far enough away that the others could not hear her. "What is it, Kagome?" she asked, wondering at her friend's strange behavior.

"Makoto," Kagome whispered. "Isn't he cool?"

Sango smiled, her eyes straying to the handsome young man. "Yes, he certainly is. He's much more kind and polite than Miroku and Inuyasha. He is quite the gentleman. I'm glad he's decided to come with us to hunt for Naraku; he is good company, especially because he understands us."

Kagome was nodding. "He's really nice and all, but I'm not sure if I trust him yet. I figured out a way to see whether he's really like Miroku and Inuyasha or not – you know, whether he's a perverted loser. We can just see whether he sneaks down to spy on us when we're in the hot spring or not. If he does, we know he's not as good as we think. If he doesn't, we know he's that much better!"

Sango smiled enthusiastically. "Good idea, Kagome. But how will we know if he comes to peek? I'm sure he'd be much quieter than Miroku and Inuyasha are when they follow us. We almost always find them."

"Yeah," Kagome nodded, "which is why we get Shippo to act like he's asleep and keep an eye on Makoto. If he gets up and leaves the camp, Shippo can tell us."

Sango nodded. "Okay, let's go."

They called Shippo over and told him their plan. He agreed, eager to see whether Makoto was really as good as he made himself out to be. All the while, the man worked to keep the fire going, seeming perfectly innocent as he went about his ways in silence.

"Okay, guys," Kagome announced, "we're going to the springs."

"Don't even think about following us." Sango glared at them. For Miroku, the warning was more of an invitation – they wondered whether it would be the same for Makoto.

As the two girls sauntered off towards the water, Shippo lay down, closing his eyes most of the way and watching through his eyelids as the three men sat in silence. Not two minutes passed before Miroku got to his feet, claiming to have to go to the bathroom. Inuyasha snorted and leaped into a tree, ignoring the houshi and falling asleep within minutes.

Makoto watched the monk leave, amusement in his eyes as he shook his head. Shippo watched him like a hawk, but the man simply sat back with a sigh, closing his eyes.

Kagome and Sango remained mostly underwater – if Makoto really was a peeping tom, the last thing they wanted to do was let him see them, and they knew Miroku would be there anyway. Sure enough, a few minutes after they submerged themselves into the water, a rustle sounded in the bushes. Furious, Sango shot for her towel and wrapped it around her, grabbing a rock and throwing it at the quickly retreating monk.

Miroku groaned and rubbed his head, but that rock was the least of his worries. Sango threw herself at him, slapping him across the cheek and yelling at him in rage.

"You stupid – sick – perverted – houshi!" she growled.

Kagome, also angry but unwilling to see Miroku murdered, pulled her friend back. "Get out of here, lech," she snapped at Miroku, who immediately shot away into the woods again, a bright red handprint on his face as a new souvenir of his perverted actions.

Makoto glanced up as the monk reentered the clearing. His eyes strayed to the handprint and he let loose a sigh. "You know," he said quietly, "you really shouldn't do that."

Miroku glared at him and remained silent.

Shrugging, Miroku settled back, closing his eyes. "It would seem to me, Miroku, that the way to get a woman to trust you does not involve committing various lecherous acts against her, but respecting her as an individual and leaving her in peace."

Miroku didn't reply. Shippo smirked slightly. The monk couldn't argue with that.

Kagome and Sango came back into the clearing a moment later to see that Makoto hadn't moved from his original spot. He glanced up as they arrived and flashed them a charming smile. "Sleep," he advised. "I will watch over you."

They smiled back at him, reassured, and turned to Shippo, who settled down in Kagome's sleeping bag.

"Well?" Sango asked quietly.

Shippo shook his head. "Didn't move once. He even told Miroku off for going."

The girls blinked in surprise and glanced over at Makoto, whose eyes were closed. "Really?" Kagome said with a grin. "That's nice of him. Did you hear what he said?"

Shippo repeated what Makoto had told Miroku. The girls looked impressed.

"Well, that's one test he's passed, in my opinion," Sango whispered. Kagome nodded along with her and settled down. "Let's get some sleep. I'll see you in the morning, Kagome."

They slept well that night, knowing that their new friend was awake to protect them.

Though they couldn't have seen it in the rapidly descending darkness, Makoto was smiling.


	4. The Fight

Hey again, guys. I'm back! So, do you like Makoto? Hate him? Love him? Trust him yet? Wonder who he is? Wonder why Naraku was trying to kill him? Mwahahaha, I'm not telling... you'll just have to wait and see! Hah!

Disclaimer: Yeah, yeah, I don't own nobody. Except Makoto! So _ha! _I own somebody in this story and you don't!

* * *

Morning dawned on the seven friends with a cheerful air. Sango and Miroku were still ignoring one another, as were Kagome and Inuyasha, but Makoto was starting to cheer the girls up with his wonderful good mood. Nothing could've cheered the guys up, and they sulked all morning long as Makoto strolled down the path with the girls.

"So, Makoto, do you have family?" Sango asked as they walked along.

Makoto shook his head. "No. My mother and father were killed in a fire that destroyed my village many years ago. I grew up alone, without family or friends, and learned to fend for myself."

Both of the girls looked at him sadly. "I'm sorry, Makoto," Sango said glumly.

The man smiled at her. "You have nothing to be sorry for."

Sango smiled back up at him as they continued walking. Inuyasha and Miroku watched sourly as the newcomer charmed both Kagome and Sango with his seemingly innocent attitude.

"So," Makoto said finally, "who is this Naraku character? I still know next to nothing about him."

Sango and Kagome shared a glance of hatred for the hanyou. "Naraku's a horrible person," Kagome said firmly. "The worst one I've ever met, or even heard of."

The demon-slayer was nodding. "We've been trying to kill him for a long time."

Kagome took up the story from the beginning. "Fifty years ago, Naraku turned Inuyasha and Kikyo, a priestess, against one another. He disguised himself as Kikyo and shot Inuyasha to a tree, and he disguised himself as Inuyasha and killed Kikyo. Inuyasha was bound to the tree for the last fifty years, before I came along and found him."

Sango glanced back at the monk behind them, who glared at her sourly. "Miroku has a hole in his hand called the Wind Tunnel. It's been passed down through his family. Naraku cursed his grandfather and put a hole in his hand. The Wind Tunnel will eventually grow so wide it will force Miroku to be pulled into his own hand. The only way to stop it is to kill Naraku."

Makoto glanced back at the monk, who turned his glare to him. "That is quite unfortunate for him. I assume his hatred for Naraku rivals yours, Kagome. What did he do to the two of you?"

"I just hate him because he's such a jerk," Kagome growled, "and because he hurt my friends. He hasn't really done anything to me… other than try to kill me a bunch of times… but he did terrible things to Sango." She glanced at her friend worriedly, as though wondering whether Sango didn't want her to tell Makoto, and the demon-slayer spoke up quietly.

"My family were taiji-ya – demon exterminators. A group of us, including my father and brother, were called to a village to slay a troublesome spider demon. It took over my brother's mind and forced him to turn on us and destroy my entire family." She was shaking with emotion. "The guards at the castle then destroyed my brother, and nearly killed me, as well."

Makoto put a hand on her shoulder as she continued, her voice breaking slightly. "When I woke up, the first thing I saw was Naraku, though I didn't know who he was. He told me… that my entire village had been destroyed while we were gone… and that Inuyasha had done it. I went after him, and it wasn't until after I'd tried to kill him that I learned it had been Naraku all along." She was shaking with emotion. "Now he's taken over my brother and is forcing him to fight us."

Kagome put an arm around Sango, who was struggling to keep calm. Makoto gave her a sympathetic look and a sad smile. "That is truly a tragic tale," he said gently. "I am most humbled that you chose to tell it to me, Sango. I only wish I could do something to ease your pain. It wounds me to see such a spirited, brave lady in distress."

Sango looked up at him with tears in her eyes. "Thank you, Makoto."

Makoto bowed his head to her, gently reaching up to wipe away a tear from her face. "You are most welcome, Sango. Come; let us not speak of such terrible things. I have learned enough of Naraku for the moment. What do you wish to speak of?"

"We don't know much about you," Sango suggested.

Nodding, Makoto considered. "There is not much to know about me. My early years were spent learning the art of swordsmanship. I always longed for adventure and travel, so the day my family was killed in the fire, that is what I did. I set out and never looked back. Since then I have wandered, and was beginning to grow rather lonely before I ran into that demon and, fortunately, you two wonderful ladies."

Kagome and Sango beamed at him, satisfied with his story.

Suddenly they were interrupted by a great roar. All of them spun around, hands on their weapons, just in time to see a giant, ugly demon break through the woods and charge at them.

Inuyasha moved towards Kagome, forgetting that he was angry with her and trying to protect her, but Makoto was already there. The man took her by the wrist and pulled her out of the way, ducking under the demon's attack. Sango flung Hiraikotsu at him, eyes hardening as she readied herself for a good fight. The boomerang struck the creature in the chest and forced him back.

Miroku dodged an attack and watched as Inuyasha leaped into the air, preparing to use the Wind Scar. Tetsusaiga was raised high –

And Inuyasha was struck to the ground as the demon whirled, lashing out with one of many arms. Its eerie red eyes laughed at him as he got painfully to his feet. The great claws slashed at him again, and he leaped out of the way, growling curses under his breath.

Makoto's swords were in his hands, and he was approaching the demon from behind. Moving swiftly, he slashed at its legs, and the creature fell to its knees with a furious snarl. Turning, it slashed at the young man, who struck out once more. The sharp swords slashed at the demon's hand and it was sheared off at the wrist.

Screaming, it struggled to its feet, turning away from him to look for easier prey. Its eyes fell on Kagome.

Inuyasha yelled at it angrily, moving to intercept its blow, but he couldn't move nearly fast enough. He was too far away. Kagome vaguely heard herself scream as the clawed hand struck at her, knowing that she was a goner for sure. She squeezed her eyes shut to wait for the blow that would end her life.

It never came.

Kagome slowly cracked her eyes open. Makoto was standing over her, brandishing his twin swords, his eyes flashing dangerously at the demon. Its arm was in shreds and lay on the ground. The young man sported a cut on his face, but was otherwise unhindered.

Angry and confused, the demon began to retreat, turning to flee into the forest. A jewel shard wasn't worth the beating he'd been given by the strange young warrior.

Before Inuyasha had a chance to find the Wind Scar, Makoto had moved after the demon, and his swords flashed in his hands, slashing at the demon's neck and sending its head onto the ground. It keeled over with a low groan, finally destroyed, and Makoto landed on both feet at Kagome's side.

Sheathing his swords and ignoring the stares directed at him, he knelt beside the miko. "Are you all right, Kagome?" he asked, sounding concerned.

She was looking from him to the demon and back, openmouthed, her voice lost. Swallowing, she nodded. Makoto rose, offering her a hand, and she took it gratefully. The young man pulled her gently to her feet, giving her a small smile and turning back to the rest of the group. "Shall we move on?" he asked brightly, as though the entire ordeal had never happened.

Inuyasha slowly sheathed Tetsusaiga. _He killed the demon, _the hanyou thought, surprised. _And he saved Kagome's life. _

Miroku and Sango had similarly shocked looks on their faces, but nodded and put away their weapons.

Turning, Makoto strolled off into the forest once again, completely at ease. The rest of them followed after him, still stunned, leaving the torn corpse of the demon behind them.


	5. Shards of the Sacred Jewel

Hello again, guys! What do you think of Makoto? I'd like to know. I want opinions on who you think he is – why Naraku was attacking him in the beginning, things like that. Only I know the answers… and that makes me feel special! Of all the people reading the story, only I know what's up with Makoto.

Thanks to **silveryuki06** for reviewing 3 and 4. I'm sorry, I can't make them all not mad at each other! If only Inu wasn't such a stuck-up selfish twit, it'd be easier, but I need them to be mad at each other for now. Sorry! It'll end well, I promise! As for Makoto, I was trying to make him really, really nice. I'm glad you noticed. Yeah, when I looked back and reread it, he was unnervingly nice… but that's how he's supposed to be, you're not imagining things. Thanks for reading!

Disclaimer: I don't own Inu. Makoto's mine!

* * *

Kagome yawned and stretched, packing up her sleeping bag. Makoto had kept watch the night before, and they'd gotten a fair amount of sleep, knowing that he was watching over them. Ever since he'd saved her life, Kagome had started to trust him more and more. He was a great fighter, and the nicest guy she'd ever met.

They packed up their things and set out again, following Inuyasha as he led the way out of the forest and into the open once more. Makoto walked with Kagome and Sango, as he was fond of doing. Shippo was perched on Kagome's shoulder, and Kirara was on Sango's. Miroku and Inuyasha were sulking and ignoring the rest of the group as they led the way down the path and into the blinding sunlight of the morning.

"So," Makoto said pleasantly from his place between the two girls, "how did you all meet one another?"

"Well," Kagome replied, "you remember what I told you about Inuyasha, that Naraku had Inuyasha sealed to a tree fifty years ago?" At Makoto's nod, she continued. "I was being chased by a centipede demon and found him. He woke up when I came close, since I'm the reincarnation of Kikyo, who was the one who bound him there. I let him go and he killed the centipede demon and saved my life." She gave a bitter smile. "Then we found out that I had the Shikon jewel in my body, and he wanted it, so he almost killed me!"

"That is terrible," Makoto said, a shocked look on his face. "The life of an innocent young woman is not worth the jewel, no matter how powerful it may be."

Kagome gave him a smile. "You're a good guy, Makoto, and you're absolutely right. The jewel isn't worth anyone's life. That's why I didn't really like Inuyasha, back in the beginning. Over time, though, we became friends, and tried to defend the jewel. Along the way, it got stolen by a crow demon, and when I shot the crow, I… well, I accidentally split the jewel. Since then, we've been searching for all the pieces, but Naraku's looking for them, too, and we think he might have more than us."

Kagome sighed, remembering each part of the story as she told it. "Inuyasha and I met Shippo a while later. His parents had been killed by the Thunder Brothers." Shippo gritted his teeth, and Makoto gave the kit a sympathetic look.

"Inuyasha and Kagome helped destroy the Thunder Brothers," Shippo piped up, still growling at the memory of the two demons, "and I avenged my parents' deaths. I had nowhere else to go, so Kagome said I could go with her and Inuyasha."

Kagome smiled at the kitsune. "We met Miroku next," she continued. "He found us and took my shards when Inuyasha was preoccupied. We chased him, and found out about the hole in his hand, and about Naraku. Miroku was after the shards, so we joined up, and he became part of the group."

Sango took up the tale. "When my family was killed," she said quietly, "and my village was destroyed, Naraku told me it was Inuyasha that had done it. When I went to face Inuyasha, he told me he hadn't done it, and I found that it was Naraku. Since then, I've traveled with Kagome and the others, and we have fought Naraku as a team ever since."

"And then we met you," Kagome said brightly, giving Makoto a smile.

The man smiled back at her. "An occurance for which I am forever grateful."

Kagome laughed. "You're sweet, Makoto. Nothing like Inu─"

They glanced back at her. Kagome had paused in midsentence. As they watched, she narrowed her eyes, concentrating on something they couldn't sense. "Inuyasha!" she called urgently.

Huffing, the hanyou ignored her and walked faster.

"Inuyasha," she said sharply, "there's two jewel shards, coming up fast!"

That got the hanyou's attention, and he immediately whipped out Tetsusaiga. The demon was on them with no warning, and they leaped away from its attack. Had Kagome not spoken to warn them, they would have been unaware of the danger until it was far too late.

Makoto gave Kagome a hand up and she got to her feet, taking out an arrow and notching it on her bow. Hiraikotsu was already on Sango's back, and Miroku's staff was at the ready, as were Makoto's swords.

The demon wasn't as large as the first, but it was uglier. It had two arms and two legs, but it sported seven eyes and many more chins. It snarled, shooting at them, and Kagome glimpsed a flash of light.

"The shards are in its forehead!" she yelled, and Inuyasha immediately went to work.

The demon struck at him, and Inuyasha dodged aside, slashing at it. The demon avoided him – being a smaller target, it was easier to miss. The creature ducked under Hiraikotsu and slashed at Sango, whose eyes widened in alarm. Hiraikotsu was still halfway across the clearing, and she was unarmed.

The demon let out a scream of pain and turned on Makoto, who had slashed its back open. It turned its back on Sango, who caught Hiraikotsu and watched with wide eyes as their newest friend battled the enemy.

Makoto was quick, which probably saved his life; the demon was powerful. He dodged around its attacks, striking whenever he could, concentrating his attention on finding an opening through which to strike at its forehead. When it lifted its hands above its head and slammed them into the ground, causing a crack to appear, he found his chance. Leaping above the crevice in the ground, he shot at the demon, slashing powerfully with his swords and slicing the shards from its flesh.

With a low groan, the demon collapsed to the ground and lay still.

Makoto wrinkled his nose, wiping the blood off his swords onto the grass, and leaned down to pluck the two shards from the mess that had been his enemy.

Inuyasha immediately bristled with hostility. "Hey, those are my shards!" he barked.

Kagome glared at him. "You didn't do squat," she said sharply. "Makoto killed the demon fair and square, Inuyasha. Stop being so selfish!" She turned and gave Makoto a winning smile. "The shards are rightfully yours, Makoto. Ignore Inuyasha."

The man glanced down at the glowing fragments in his hand and shook his head. "I do not want them," he said quietly, looking back up at her.

Kagome looked shocked. "What?"

Makoto walked over and dropped them into her palm. "What would I want with these shards? I do not need or want them, nor the power they could give. It is you who needs them, Kagome, in this fight against the dark hanyou Naraku – not I. I would have you take them, and protect them from him."

Inuyasha looked taken aback. Twice he opened his mouth to retort and could find nothing to say. Kagome, surprised though she was at Makoto's generosity, fused the shards with the rest of the jewel and gave him a smile of thanks.

Without another word, he turned back to the path and continued to walk.

Inuyasha caught up with him and gave him a suspicious look. "What do you think you're doing, Makoto?" he said under his breath. "Nobody just gives up shards like that."

The man glanced at Inuyasha, the pure picture of innocence. "I would have thought you would be glad to get your hands on them, Inuyasha. You need only say the word and I shall take them back from you, if that is what you desire. I was under the impression I was helping you and Kagome."

Inuyasha ground his teeth angrily, but he couldn't find anything to disagree about.

Makoto sighed. "Why do you dislike me so, Inuyasha? I merely wish to assist you, and you look upon me with such distaste as though I were an insect on the sole of your foot."

Inuyasha growled under his breath. "Fine," he said sourly. "Thanks for the shard. There, happy?"

Makoto smiled, though it looked rather forced. "You are welcome, Inuyasha," he said, and turned to rejoin Kagome and Sango, who smiled happily at him as he approached.

The hanyou watched him go, narrowing his eyes. _Who is this guy? Why do I get a bad feeling whenever he's around? _


	6. Uncertainty

First of all, thanks to my reviewers. My internet was down for a few days and my dad was in California, and since he's the techie in the family, we had to wait for him to get back before we could use it again – which meant no updating! I'm so sorry! But the internet's back now, so I can keep on posting… and man, is it fun to write this. I'm glad all of you reviewed. Thanks a bunch!

First of all, thanks to **silveryuki06**, the first one to ever review this fic, for reviewing Chapter 5. Believe me, none of my reviewers are annoying in the least. I read every review I get and I love them all. I'm one of those people that gets carried away, too. Smart thinking, by the way, about Naraku not attacking just anybody. That does make you wonder who Makoto is…

**-Key of Minds- **Thanks for reviewing! I, too, look forward as to how it turns out, as I'm not completely sure yet. Don't worry, I have an awesome idea… I just don't know how I'm going to write it yet! Heheh… or, as Naraku would say, kukuku…

I'm sorry, **animefanatic-9877, **I haven't updated in so long! I'll try to go faster, I promise. Glad you're reading, and thanks for reviewing! You're awesome!

And finally, thanks to **yasha's sis**. You are very smart. That's a good theory... but, being **mean**genius, I'm going to be mean and not tell you whether it's right or not! Man, it's so fun being the only one in the entire universe who knows what will happen next! Mwahaha! Kukuku!

You've all got such great ideas, and you're all so suspicious of Makoto… I read all these reviews and I just want to talk to all of you about what you think of the story… but I can't say much or I'll give it away, and that's the last thing I want to do, because what sort of a story would it be if everyone knew the ending? So I'll just shut up and start writing so you can see for yourselves whether you're right, or whether you're terribly, horribly wrong.

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Inuyasha, or Kagome or Sango or Miroku or Kagura or Kirara or Shippo or Sesshomaru or Jaken or Rin or Kikyo or Kouga or Naraku or Kagura or Kanna or Jakotsu or Bankotsu or Myoga or… um… anybody else you can think of. Besides Makoto!

* * *

Inuyasha growled under his breath as he stalked along at the head of the group. He'd spent the past few hours trying to solve the puzzle that was Makoto, with no luck. It would seem that the man was unsolvable.

A part of the hanyou desperately wanted to just trust Makoto and stop worrying. This was probably because he was having such a hard time trying to think up reasons why he _shouldn't _trust Makoto. The man seemed perfect in every way, shape, and form. He was kind and charming, not to mention handsome. He was a good fighter. He has saved Kagome's life. He had given up two jewel shards to them when he could have used them to grow stronger, or sold them for money.

There was no way around it. He had no flaws.

Perhaps that was what Inuyasha disliked about him.

Everyone had flaws. It was a fact of life. Nobody in the world can be completely perfect. Yet, in a way that was almost spooky, Makoto managed the charade. He managed to look perfect. Kagome and Sango had accepted him – welcomed him, even. He treated them with respect, after all, which was something neither Inuyasha nor Miroku did, each in their way. Both Sango and Kagome had come to like Makoto for the very reason that he gave them what respect they could not gain otherwise.

But… what if it _wasn't _a charade? What if Makoto really was all he made himself to be? What if he was really a good person, a man who only wanted the best for others, a man so selfless as to give up two shards of the Sacred Jewel to Kagome without her even having to ask for them? What if that really was him? It was possible, after all; they had no way of knowing. After all, Inuyasha always was suspicious around the wrong people – he was wary of Miroku for a long time after they met, but he trusted the dirt and clay version of Kikyo from the instant he met her, even after she was found to be with Naraku.

_It's probably just me bein' paranoid,_ Inuyasha thought, glancing at Makoto out of the corner of his eye. The man was chatting comfortably with Sango and Kagome, as he'd come to do often. Miroku was stalking along behind them, looking glum. Shippo and Kirara were perched on the shoulders of Kagome and Sango, half listening to the talk, half admiring the sunny day.

Inuyasha paused and let Miroku catch up to him. They walked behind the others and spoke under their breath so no one would hear them. "Miroku," Inuyasha muttered, "do you trust him?"

"Makoto?" the monk said with a sigh. "I suppose. I think I only disliked him in the beginning because he got along with Sango so well, when all I could ever do was make her angry…"

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. Secretly, though he would never admit it to Miroku as long as he lived, he had felt the same way – Makoto had won Kagome over so quickly, and since then Kagome hadn't paid Inuyasha the slightest bit of attention. He would even like for her to be angry with him again, if it would get her to look at him, but she had eyes only for Makoto. _That must be it, _the hanyou thought sourly. _I was jealous of him. I still am. Kagome does nothing but talk to him, and it's obvious she likes him… she'll never look at me again… but that doesn't mean Makoto's not a good guy himself. _

Miroku was thinking along the same lines. Sure, the new guy was basically stealing Sango from him, but that didn't give the monk a true reason to dislike him. Well, maybe it did, but he was of Buddha, and that wasn't his way. If Sango chose Makoto, he had to let her alone and pray that she would be happy. He had lost his chance of having her. It was Makoto's turn. Just the fact that he was nice was no reason to distrust him. Makoto was most likely a great guy, and Miroku's jealous anger at Sango just wouldn't let him see that.

"We ought to give him a chance," Miroku said quietly to Inuyasha. "I bet he's not so bad."

Inuyasha grumbled, but didn't answer. Miroku sighed at the hanyou's stubborn attitude and walked faster to catch up to Makoto. The man seemed to notice and excused himself from Kagome and Sango's conversation.

"Is something wrong, Miroku?" Makoto asked, moving to walk beside the monk.

Miroku sighed. "No, nothing. I simply think we got off to a bad start. Perhaps we can begin again." He smiled and held out a hand. "I am Miroku. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Makoto smiled back at him and shook his hand. "Makoto. The pleasure is all mine."

Miroku immediately felt himself warm up to the newest member of the group. The two chatted for a while like old friends. They spoke of their childhoods, of their families, of how they had come to be who they were, and of everything else you can think of. By the time the group decided to stop for dinner, the two could have been considered the best of friends. Miroku trusted Makoto completely, and knew with a firm certainty that he wouldn't betray their group. He was too pure, too kind, too considerate a person.

Miroku laughed to himself as he turned two squirrels that were roasting over the fire. Makoto hardly seemed foul enough to be able to tell a lie. How could he be an enemy? They would have sensed it by then, or seen some sign of deceit.

It was a relief, really, to know that he could relax. Miroku had been using up most of his energy watching and being wary of Makoto. Now that he trusted the man, Miroku could merely sit back and let Inuyasha do all the worrying. It was painfully obvious that the hanyou still didn't trust Makoto. By then, he was the only one that didn't, and it was starting to get annoying.

As they sat around the fire, all of them silently thinking their own thoughts, the crickets began to take up their song to the chorus of bullfrogs and owls. Kagome and Sango exchanged a silent look and got up to bathe before they went to bed. Kagome unpacked two towels and her shampoo before giving the boys a silent glare of warning and leaving.

"I think I'll go collect some more firewood," Miroku said quickly, rising and moving off in the same direction the girls had gone. He was a terrible liar, and Inuyasha and Makoto both saw through it at once.

"Sit, Miroku," Makoto said, his voice ringing with laughter. "I shall fetch firewood. No need to exert yourself."

Miroku sat down to pout as Makoto left the clearing. The man walked for a short while, gathering strong wood as he went, before he heard voices. He paused, listening, and recognized Kagome and Sango. He remained silent as the words reached his ears, though he didn't move any closer, nor did he intrude upon their privacy to try and peek as Miroku would have done.

"So, what about Makoto?" Kagome was saying, giggling as she ducked underwater.

Sango had the same girlish laugh in her voice. "He's amazing. No man I've ever met before has paid that much attention to what we've said, and he's nice no matter what! Even to Inuyasha!"

Kagome's laugh reached Makoto's ears. He smiled slightly, remembering Inuyasha's angry outburst just hours before, when all the newcomer had done was give them shards that they wanted. Kagome continued to speak, and he heard splashes along with the voices.

"That takes some patience," Kagome was saying. "Being nice to someone like Inuyasha. And he's always so considerate… even in my home, you wouldn't find a guy like that every day. You'd be lucky to ever find one."

Sango's voice was wistful. "Almost as though he stepped out of a dream…"

Girly sighs filled the air, and Makoto decided he had heard enough. Silently, he made his way back to the clearing, taking the branches with him and laying a few on the fire.

Inuyasha glanced down from his tree and narrowed his eyes, laying a clawed hand on Tetsusaiga. The smirk on Makoto's face was eerie and sent shivers up his spine. He glared warily at Makoto, who finished putting wood on the fire and stood back, falling into a patch of moonlight.

The hanyou's fingers loosened on Tetsusaiga's hilt and he relaxed. The shadows had been playing tricks with his eyes. The light showed that Makoto wasn't smirking at all, but smiling innocently. The hanyou closed his eyes and sat back, pushing the wary unease into the back of his mind and welcoming sleep. _Just forget about him, _Inuyasha told himself, yawning tiredly. _Miroku trusts him already, and so do Kagome and Sango. He's probably fine. _

But his fears refused to die down quietly, and Inuyasha opened his eyes to glance in Makoto's direction one last time.

The man looked back up at him, and the expression on his face was clearly a smile, not a smirk. Inuyasha gave him a fierce glare to keep up his reputation, though secretly he was comforted by Makoto's innocent gesture. For that night, at least, Inuyasha reasoned, he could sleep without having to worry.

And that's exactly what he did.


	7. Another Shard

Hola! Thanks to everybody who reviewed. You all rock and I love you!

**-Key of Minds- **Isn't it a shame that there aren't more people like Makoto these days? That would be so nice… unless, of course, he turns out to be a liar and a loser, like Inu thinks. But isn't Inu always wrong? Or… is he? (Man, I'm even confusing myself here!)

**Silveryuki06** – Did he… or didn't he? I'm not telling…

**Fanficluv7Inu** – This will be a trilogy, and I'm a total InuKag fan, so yeah, they'll get together – but it'll take a while. Which just means you'll have to read the whole thing to find out what happens!

So, there it is: the main question of the story so far. Is Makoto actually evil? Am I dropping these hints to prove that he is? Am I dropping these hints to make you thinkhe is? Am I dropping these hints to make you think I'm making you think he is? Can it get more complicated than that?

You'll just have to decide for yourself whether he's good or bad.

On with the story!

Disclaimer: I only own Makoto. If you sue I'll discontinue the story and then you'll never know! Which, of course, means you just have to wait until after I'm done to sue me.

* * *

Breakfast the next morning was cheerful, as everyone had gotten a good night's sleep. Makoto had managed to find a bird's nest and had stolen a few eggs from it to cook for their meal.

Only Inuyasha was moody, but that was no surprise, as there was hardly ever a time when he was otherwise. He didn't eat Makoto's eggs, but sat and watched miserably as the others stuffed themselves. His pride wouldn't allow him to accept food from the man.

Makoto offered some breakfast to Inuyasha. "Are you sure you wouldn't like some?"

Inuyasha turned his nose up. "I don't want your crummy eggs, baka."

Kagome glared at the hanyou. "Inuyasha! That wasn't very nice! Sit!"

"Gah!"

Makoto raised his eyebrows at the sight. Inuyasha's necklace had slammed him into the ground with a bright flash of light and a flare of power. "That is an interesting trick," he commented as Inuyasha tried to pick himself back up. "But I can tell that it pains Inuyasha. Please, Kagome, do not cause him to suffer merely on my account. He has the right to his own opinions."

Kagome looked surprised, but nodded and continued eating.

Inuyasha managed to sit up and shot Makoto a glance. The man glanced over at Inuyasha and gave him an innocent smile. "My apologies, Inuyasha," he said. "Of course, you need not eat if you do not wish to. I shall be more respectful of you in the future."

"Fine," Inuyasha growled, though there was no true threat in his voice. "I'll eat your stupid food."

Makoto hesitated, wondering if the hanyou was being sarcastic. Miroku leaned over and murmured to him so Inuyasha couldn't hear. "Do it," the monk muttered. "That's his way of saying he's sorry. It's not something you see every day. Take advantage of it while you still can."

Smiling slightly, Makoto handed Inuyasha a share of the food. The hanyou ate it silently, that same pissed-off look on his face, though they could all tell it was just for show. However it had happened, the half-demon had accepted Makoto. He had been slower than the rest of them, and rightfully so; he had seen enough suspicious behavior from the newcomer, and had his share of doubts. But in the end, as they all had, he came around and admitted that Makoto wasn't as bad as they'd first thought.

Unfortunately, the "sit" hadn't helped his relationship with Kagome much at all, and his thoughts turned sour as he glared in her direction. Sango and Miroku pointedly avoided each other's eyes and ate in silence. Makoto merely watched them all with an amused look in his eyes, wondering how they'd gotten themselves into such a strange situation when they were usually so close.

When breakfast had finished, they packed up and got ready to move. Drifting apart, they began to walk – Sango, Kagome, and Makoto together, the others spread out amongst themselves. And so life continued as it always had, give or take a few details.

It was drawing close to noon when Kagome began to sense the faint aura she knew so well. "Hey!" she called out, loud enough for all of them to hear. "I can sense a shard!"

"How far away is it from us?" Miroku asked, coming up to walk beside her. Sango turned up her nose and Miroku ignored her, but as he had no reason to be angry with Kagome, he listened to her response respectfully, as did the rest of them.

"A few miles," she said after a moment of concentration. "It's not moving. If we head a little more east, we should hit it soon."

Makoto nodded in the right direction. "We must go that way, then," he stated. "The direction from which the sun rose." He eyed the path a moment; they would have to pass through a thick forest to get where they were trying to go. "We can risk the dangers of the thick forest and reach the shard sooner, or we can go around and reach it safely. Which way would you advise, Inuyasha?"

They turned to look at the hanyou, who had paused and was sniffing the air. Inuyasha glanced at Makoto over his shoulder. "Why ask me?"

"I do not pretend to be wise in decisions such as these," Makoto shrugged, glancing around him once more at the area. "I had assumed you would have better judgment than I. I am a stranger to you still, and you have had more experience with your comrades. It is your right to make the decision as you see fit."

Inuyasha sniffed the air again, secretly agreeing with Makoto's reasoning. He would've expected the man to take charge as though he owned the world… but Makoto had left the decision to him. It was a good thing for him to have done.

"I don't like the smell of the forest," Inuyasha replied after a moment. "There's lots of demons in there, and fightin' them all would probably take longer than just goin' the long way. I say we go around the forest." He turned his glare on Makoto, daring the man to speak against him.

Makoto merely nodded and held out a hand. "Lead the way."

Inuyasha did so, looking back on the times when he hadn't trusted Makoto and snorting at how stupid he had been. Clearly the man meant no harm… and if he did, Inuyasha could tear him down in a second. Makoto was just a human, after all. His scent made that obvious.

They trekked around the forest, keeping their wits about them and remaining silent lest they give away their presence to whatever had the shard. Kagome let her senses cover the area and saw two things – one, that they were getting closer, and two, that the shard still wasn't moving. It was stationary, its position unchanging….

_Almost as though it's waiting for us, _she realized suddenly.

"Inuyasha!" she said quickly, her voice a mere whisper. The half-demon turned to look at her over his shoulder in question, but was interrupted by a quiet, malicious laugh.

"Kukuku," the voice chuckled from behind them. "Inuyasha. I was beginning to wonder when I would see you again."


	8. Naraku's Puppet

Hey again, guys! Thanks for the reviews so far – there aren't any new ones yet, since I'm writing this about ten minutes after the last one, but thanks to anybody who's reading, even if you don't review. I spent a lot of my time on the site reading but not reviewing. From experience, let me tell you something: it's easier, but it makes people feel really, really good when they get a review, even one that flames their story (well, it makes me feel good, if no one else). It's not so hard to just push that little button down by the bottom of the screen and type something – a few words is better than nothing at all. But hey, it's a free country (or so they say), and I can't make you do anything you don't want to.

Thanks to everyone who _does _review, and to those who don't, thanks for reading, whether you liked it or not. I want to know what you all think of the story so far, and how you see Makoto. At this point, you don't really know what to make of him… I purposely put some stuff to make him seem suspicious, and equally some stuff to make him seem genuine. It's up to you to decide what he is, who he is, and why Naraku was after him – because, as one of my reviewers so eloquently put, "Naraku doesn't attack just anybody."

Thanks for reading! Enjoy the story!

Disclaimer: I own Makoto, but nobody else. I wish I did, but I don't, and I probably never will, unless by some miracle I get rich (not likely) and buy them all and then use them to take over the world! That'd be so cool… oh, sorry, I'm rambling again. Read read read!

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"Naraku," Inuyasha growled, drawing Tetsusaiga and turning to face his enemy.

The evil hanyou had appeared out of nowhere to stand before them, baboon mask and robe in place. It was Naraku – or, rather, one of his puppets. A single shard of the Jewel rested in the puppet's heart, along with the wooden doll that animated it.

Slowly, the puppet's head turned to survey them all and paused upon reaching Makoto. "Ah, I see you have gained another fool to add to your collection," the puppet observed, speaking to Inuyasha. "Yet another soul to drag with you from this world when I destroy you. How sad."

Makoto was examining the puppet with his eyes. "You are Naraku?" he said warily.

Kagome tensed from beside him. "He's a puppet," she muttered. "Naraku's controlling him."

Nodding, Makoto drew his swords. "I know not what you are," he stated to the puppet, "but I have heard tell of your foul deeds from those you have harmed the most. I will fight you, if it will help to rid the world of the evil that lies within your foul, blackened heart. You have gained another enemy in this fight, Naraku."

Naraku laughed mockingly at Makoto. "You will only achieve your own death," the puppet hissed, and attacked.

Inuyasha leaped into the air and slashed at its tentacles, which shot out from underneath its robes. As he got to work fighting, he glanced over at Makoto. The man didn't look at all surprised to see tentacles shooting from their opponent, though it would shock most normal people. Instead, he was slashing through them as though he did it every day, and in doing so he was protecting Kagome.

"How do you destroy it?" Makoto shouted over the din.

Sango, fighting alongside him, answered as she caught Hiraikotsu. "We have to slash it through the heart!"

Kagome already had an arrow on her bow. "I need a clean shot!" she yelled at them.

Inuyasha quickly used the Wind Scar and cleaved a path to Naraku. Before Kagome could so much as blink, let alone aim and release her arrow, more tentacles had leaped up to defend the opening. Hiraikotsu slashed through them, cutting through and widening the path, but once again it was blocked.

Makoto, swords in hand, drew back and shouted to them. "All at once!"

Miroku threw his ofuda and burned away a number of tentacles, while Shippo's foxfire brought down a few more. Kirara slashed through them with claw and fang alike. Tetsusaiga cleaved away most of them, and Hiraikotsu lopped off the few that the Wind Scar had missed. Makoto stepped back, angled his swords, and threw them both as though they were boomerangs. Just like Hiraikotsu, they shot through the confusion, clearing the path once more as Naraku screamed at them in rage.

Thanks to their joined attacks, the opening to Naraku was clear for a matter of seconds, which was more than enough for Kagome to release the fatal arrow that slammed into the puppet's heart.

The baboon-clad puppet let out a hiss as it began to disintegrate, and turned its tentacles towards the one who had destroyed it. Kagome's eyes widened in terror as the appendages streaked towards her, moving too quickly to give her time to move out of the way.

Makoto's swords slashed the tentacles to bits and he stood before her, ready to protect her again if need be. Inuyasha huffed and turned back to the puppet, which gave Makoto a scornful glare before crumbling into ashes with a burst of light, leaving only a wooden doll and a shard behind.

In an instant, Makoto was facing Kagome, swords sheathed. "Are you all right?"

Kagome was unable to keep the grin from her face. "Yes!" she cheered. "And we beat the puppet! You're a great help, Makoto. Thanks a lot!"

Makoto bowed his head to her. "You are welcome, Kagome." He moved to pick up the shard and doll. "This is rightfully yours," he said, handing her the shard. Kagome fused it with the rest of their shards. After examining the doll for a moment, Makoto squeezed his fist and it snapped between his fingers. He let the pieces fall to the ground and turned his heel on the broken doll.

"Let us continue onward," he said cheerfully, "and search out more of these puppets, that we may slowly but surely rid the world of this Naraku that has plagued you for so long."

Shrugging, they put away their various weapons and moved to follow him. He gave Inuyasha a bright smile and paused to let the hanyou lead the way. Inuyasha moved to the front of the group and led them in the direction they had been heading before Kagome had sensed the shard. They continued on, all of them in high spirits, even Inuyasha – that was possibly the easiest fight they had ever gone through against one of Naraku's puppets. None of them had earned so much as a single scratch.

Kagome and Sango were fawning over Makoto. "You were wonderful!" Sango said in delight. "I don't remember a time when we were able to defeat a puppet so quickly. And you saved Kagome's life – what was that, the third time?"

"No, Sango, don't be ridiculous," Makoto said, scratching the back of his head and looking downright embarrassed. "It was only the second time."

Kagome rolled her eyes. "Whatever. That's still two times I could've died if you hadn't been there."

"Well, how could I possibly allow such a wonderful young lady such as yourself go to waste?" he said, smiling at her. "It is my duty to protect you from harm, Kagome. And you, as well, Sango." His smile grew wider. "I actually found the fight rather enjoyable. Working as a team with ones I know I can depend on is a wonderful experience. I like to think that I contributed in some way."

"You certainly did," Sango said with a smile. "We couldn't have done it without you, Makoto."

"Oh, come now, I am sure you could have done perfectly well on your own," he laughed. "You have survived this long without me – I am quite positive you could do so again, if need be."

Both girls looked shocked. "No, we couldn't!" Kagome said, sounding horrified. "Makoto, you're not planning to leave anytime soon, are you? What makes you say that?"

"Oh, you won't get rid of me so easily," he said good-naturedly. "I plan on staying with you for a good long time."

Sango nodded. "Good. With Miroku and Inuyasha the way they are…"

"You mean acting like they have abnormally large sticks up their butts?" Kagome muttered.

Sango grinned. "Exactly. With them acting like that, we need someone to protect us and help us fight our fights… and you're a great friend, Makoto. You actually care about what we have to say, and you respect us as people, unlike someone _else _I know, who only respects the parts of us he shouldn't." Her gaze flicked to Miroku for a moment, and he glared back at her defiantly.

Makoto looked thoughtful. "I have always believed that the greatest respect a man can give to a woman is his attention," he said. "Simply because a person is female does not mean their opinions have no meaning. At times, a woman is able to see certain aspects of a situation that a man may be blind to."

Kagome looked at him in surprise. _All that stuff they used to tell us in history class about woman's rights, _she thought to herself, _had to do with this – men thinking they were better than women. Makoto isn't like that. It took regular men hundreds of years to admit that women could have the same rights. It's comforting to know that there were some people, even way back in these days, that thought that way without having to be persuaded._

Makoto glanced over at her. "Kagome? Is something wrong?"

With a jolt, she realized she had been spacing out for a moment. "Oh, no," she said, jerking back into reality. "Just thinking about what you said. You're a great guy, Makoto. I don't know if I've ever met a guy who thinks the way you do. You're amazing."

"Thank you, Kagome," he said pleasantly. "You are amazing, as well. Both of you. Never have I seen such spirit, such unquenchable fire, in a woman. I am awed by your strength, of heart and mind and body, every moment I am around you, and I am thankful that the fates were considerate enough to allow me the chance to meet you, for it is without doubt the best thing that has ever happened to me."

Kagome and Sango were both smiling so widely their faces were beginning to hurt. "Thanks, Makoto," Sango said, touched. "That's really sweet."

"Yeah," Kagome sighed. "I don't think any guy's ever said something that nice to me before."

"You must not have met many decent men, then," Makoto said amiably.

Kagome smiled at him wistfully. "Nope… none nearly as decent as you."

"I am honored," he said with a pleasant laugh. "Come; the afternoon has descended upon us. Let us pause for a bite to eat. There is some shade over there, under those trees. We can lay out a blanket on the grass and relax for a while."

And so the group settled down to eat, and enjoyed the bright and sunny day, and all of their hearts were light with contentment.


	9. Explaining the Well

Hey, guys! I'm back again. You should consider yourselves lucky, you know. Not just anyone would update their account while juggling a bunch of homework thanks to the school year coming back to haunt us all. My sister decided she's going to put off her stories until she gets a break in school, which will probably take a while. But I'm in the middle of a story that everybody keeps asking me to update, and I'm not going to leave you hanging… but I could! Going into high school is a good enough reason to put off writing. But I love writing, and I'm not going to make you wait, so I'm going to be nice. You know how you can repay me? I think you do. **Review!**

**-Key of Minds- **Thanks for reviewing the last chapter! I know exactly what you mean, and I'm glad you're wondering, because that's what I was trying to make everyone do when I was writing. Thanks a bunch for telling me what you thought… keep reading and reviewing!

**lilpinkpookie – **Are you kidding? Of course it's not over! Don't worry, I've got a long way to go. I won't be finished with this for a long, long time. Well, I'll probably finish the story, but it's going to end up a trilogy, so don't worry, it'll be a while. Thanks for reviewing!

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. Makoto's mine.

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Once they had packed up lunch, they tried to decide which way they would travel. Kagome couldn't sense any shards anywhere near them, so they had no clues as to which direction was best. Inuyasha and Miroku started to argue over which way was better, and Sango and Shippo were rolling their eyes in exasperation. Makoto watched the fight with a look on his face that was a mixture of annoyance and amusement.

Kagome finally broke into the argument. "Stop!" she said sharply, and everyone fell silent, turning to look at her. "If you guys can't agree, why don't we just go back to Kaede's village? I could stop by the well, and we could all rest. I've been low on supplies anyway."

Inuyasha huffed. "You'll just take forever, like always. We don't have time to stop."

"Can anyone else think of a better idea?" Sango said, looking between the others. "No, I didn't think so. Kagome's right; we're not going to find any shards by arguing. Let's just go back and rest a little while. Maybe if we wait, a shard will come to us, or Kagome will sense one from the village."

The half-demon growled, still unwilling to give in and give Kagome what she wanted. "Inuyasha," Kagome said with an annoyed sigh, "stop being so selfish. I need to go home once in a while, you know. I'll bring you some ramen, if that'll make you shut up about it."

Inuyasha glared at her, but didn't protest this time.

"Okay," Kagome said cheerfully. "Kaede's it is."

Makoto looked over at her. "Who is this Kaede you speak of?"

"She's a really nice lady in a village to the west," Kagome explained. "I've known her for a long time. She's a priestess and a healer. We go to her village sometimes when we need a break, and when I need to stop by my home and pick some stuff up."

"So… your home is near this Kaede's village?" Makoto asked, cocking his head.

Kagome suddenly remembered that Makoto didn't know about the well, and swallowed nervously, glancing at Sango. The other girl shrugged and nodded. Kagome took a deep breath and decided that she trusted Makoto enough to tell him.

Makoto raised his eyebrows as he caught the look exchanged between the two girls. Evidently there was something they hadn't told him about Kagome's home. He waited patiently while Kagome readied herself for a long explanation. "Well, Makoto," she started, "I guess you could say my home is close to Kaede's village… see, just outside the village is a forest called the Forest of Inuyasha. It's called that because that forest is where Inuyasha was pinned to a tree for fifty years. Anyway, inside the forest is a well, and my home is on the other side of the well."

"I am afraid I do not understand," Makoto said, sounding unsure. "What do you mean by 'the other side of the well?'"

Miroku nodded. "It is rather difficult to understand," he said, remembering the first time Kagome had explained the well to him. He hadn't truly believed her until he saw her disappear at the bottom. It was then that he realized the well truly led to another world.

Kagome sighed and launched into the explanation. "Makoto, it's like this – when I jump in the well, I don't hit the bottom. Instead, I travel through time and end up in my home."

"Wait," he interrupted, narrowing his eyes. "Travel through time?"

"Yeah," Kagome laughed nervously. "See, I live in the future."

Makoto was silent, but his eyes were darkened with thought, and he seemed to be trying to understand this startling new bit of information. Kagome waited anxiously for a response. Finally he nodded slowly and met her eyes again.

"That is… interesting," he said, giving her a slight smile. "I have not heard tell of such magic before. How did you stumble upon such a device, Kagome?"

"My family owns a shrine," she said, relieved that he wasn't freaking out. "I was in the wellhouse one day chasing our cat, and a centipede demon came out of the well and dragged me through it into this time, where I met Inuyasha."

Makoto nodded thoughtfully. Kagome considered him for a moment. "You're taking this pretty well," she commented. "If I learned somebody was from the future, I'd run as fast as I could in the opposite direction."

Shrugging, Makoto sat back and met her eyes. "As far as I am concerned," he said, "it honestly does not matter where you are from, Kagome. It does not change who you are. You are a wonderful person, and a dear friend of mine – one of few. I am no less fond of you now than I was before you told me – no, I am perhaps more so, as you have chosen to trust me with this secret of yours. I swear to you that I will not betray your trust."

"Oh, thanks, Makoto!" Kagome cried, throwing her arms around him and hugging him. Inuyasha growled under his breath at the sight, but didn't do anything other than cross his arms and glare at them. Makoto laughed and returned her embrace, glancing over her head at Sango. The exterminator was smiling approvingly at him. He smiled back at her and released Kagome.

Rising to his feet, Makoto stretched. "Shall we continue on, then?" he said brightly. "Now that we know where we are going, we need not stop to discuss the path. Kagome, how far away is this village that you seek?"

Kagome got up and slung her backpack over her shoulder. "Oh, I don't know. It's probably a good three days of walking."

"Then let us begin," Makoto said, and they turned onto the path.


	10. Down the Well

So, the tenth chapter… man, this story took a lot less time to write than the last one. Oh, yeah, I haven't even said anything about my other story! Man, am I stupid! Everybody, this isn't my first story. (**dramatic music plays in the background**) No, I've written another Inuyasha fic! It's called "Living for Love." From the reviews it got, I'd say it was a pretty good first story. I'd love it if you guys would try that one and tell me what you think.

On with the story!

Disclaimer: As awesome as I am, I don't own Inu. I only own Makoto. But hey, that's more than enough for me!

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The three days it took to reach Kaede's village passed quickly. Makoto spoke with Kagome and Sango much of the time, and the three grew even closer, if possible. Whenever there came a break in the conversation, Makoto would fall back and speak with Miroku and Shippo, who had come to travel together, or he would speed up and attempt to converse with Inuyasha.

The hanyou had forgotten all suspicions he had had about Makoto, and had openly accepted the man. He was spending so much of his energy stubbornly spiting Kagome that he didn't waste his time trying to be mean to Makoto. It wasn't worth it. No matter what he said or did, Makoto was just as kind and polite as ever, and it was too hard to try to faze him. Inuyasha had given up and formed a sort of truce with the newcomer – the newcomer who was no longer quite so new to them. Indeed, they had become almost accustomed to him in their group.

The only thing they disliked about the life they led was the ongoing arguments. Kagome loved the new friend she had gained, and she enjoyed every second she spent with Makoto, but she could no longer deny that she missed Inuyasha. All the attention in the world from Makoto just wasn't the same. Sure, he was charming and considerate and polite, everything Inuyasha wasn't… but deep down, she knew she loved Inuyasha, despite his rudeness and stubbornness and constant anger.

Sango felt the same way. She dearly loved Makoto's company, but she missed Miroku. She missed his kindness, which was unique to him. She missed his optimism. She missed his odd little quirks – all the times he would fake an exorcism to get them a room at an inn, which was something she knew Makoto was too kind to do. She even missed – dare she say it? – the groping.

Yes, it was true. Sango missed Miroku's groping.

At the same time, Inuyasha and Miroku were miserable. They were thankful for Makoto's company; it served as a cure for their loneliness. But they missed Kagome and Sango. They were beginning to regret their fights, and the terrible bitter solitude that hung about them was almost enough to make them apologize. But their stubbornness held fast, and neither spoke up. They spoke with Makoto, and took advantage of his kindness and caring attitude, and tried to push aside their longing for their girls.

Shippo and Kirara served as the outside observers. They hadn't picked sides, and they could see that both the guys and the girls were miserable. The little demons were annoyed with both sides of the fight – their stupid stubbornness and dumb fights were making them all sorry, and if they'd only quit being such morons, they'd all be happy again.

Shippo groaned as Kagome and Inuyasha exchanged a silent glare. Was this never going to end?

When they finally reached the village, the first thing they did was go down to say hello to Kaede. The priestess welcomed them with open arms, and Kagome gave the old lady a happy hug. "Welcome, to all of ye," Kaede said, gesturing to her hut. "Come, let us speak. Who is this young man whom ye travel with, Kagome?"

"This," Kagome said by way of introduction, "is Makoto. Makoto, this is Kaede."

Kaede gave Makoto a smile. "Welcome, child."

Makoto bowed low to her and took her hand in his own. "Well met, Kaede," he said graciously. "I am extremely honored to make your acquaintance."

The priestess looked impressed with his manners, and treated him with the utmost respect as she led them into her hut. They settled down, and Kagome and Sango filled Kaede in on their adventures since they had seen her last, including how they had come across Makoto.

"Well, it sounds like they are lucky they found you, Makoto," Kaede said when Kagome had finished.

Makoto smiled good-naturedly. "I am lucky that they found me, as well," he said, smiling at them. Kagome and Sango smiled back at him. Shippo and Kirara rolled their eyes. Kaede smiled at Makoto, as well, already charmed by his easygoing attitude.

"Well," Kagome said finally, "it's been great catching up with you, Kaede, but I've got to get back home soon. You don't mind if we spend the night here, do you?"

"Of course not, child," Kaede said with a nod. "Go on home, and have ye a good time."

Kagome smiled at the old woman and rose, picking up her bag. "Thanks. Makoto, you coming?"

Makoto rose and held the door open for her. "Of course. I am curious as to how this well of yours operates, Kagome." He glanced at the others. "Would any of you care to join us?"

Sango eyed Miroku for a moment and got to her feet. "I'll come with you," she said to them.

Kagome led the way outside. "Let's get going, then!"

They made their way out into the woods and through to the clearing with the well. Kagome walked up and gazed down into the depths. "I'll make it quick," she said to the others. "I'll probably be gone for an hour or two."

"I shall wait here for you to return," Makoto informed her. "Go well, Kagome."

Smiling, she waved and jumped into the well. Makoto and Sango leaned over the edge and watched as she vanished in a blast of pink light, leaving the well just as empty as when she had leaped in.

Makoto sat down with his back to the well, heaving a happy sigh as he let the sunlight play upon his face. Sango watched him for a moment, taking in his handsome face and smiling slightly in admiration. She shook herself and glanced back at the village, wondering whether he wanted her to leave.

"What do you wish to do?" he asked, as though he had read her mind. "Judging from the argument that has existed between you and Miroku since I met you, I assume you would rather not return to him. Come; I could use some company, myself."

Sango sank down beside him. "Thanks," she said gratefully.

Makoto smiled at her. "You are welcome, Sango."

The demon exterminator smiled back at him, but his eyes caught the sadness in her own, and he saw at once that she missed Miroku. "Do not fear," he said comfortingly, putting a hand on her shoulder. "I am sure it is only a matter of time before Miroku and you have forgiven one another. He is a nice person, as are you, and it is clear that both of you miss the other."

Sango balled her hand into a fist. "Well, if only Miroku wasn't too stubborn to apologize," she said furiously, "maybe I'd believe you…" The anger went out of her in an instant, and she sighed miserably. "Maybe I should apologize."

"It is not your place," Makoto told her. "Miroku is the one who wronged you, Sango, not the other way around. It is his responsibility to come to you, and if he does not, he is not worth your friendship." Makoto gave her a slight smile. "What sane man would pass up such a brilliantly radiant woman? If he cannot see how wonderful you are, Sango, you should not concern yourself with him. You will only be hurt. It is a sad truth, indeed, but it is the truth – that I swear to you."

Sango pulled herself together and nodded. "You're right. I'll wait for him to apologize."

Makoto nodded. "I believe that is best."

With a heavy sigh, Sango smiled at Makoto, relaxing against the well. "Thanks, Makoto. You're the only man I've ever known who actually listens to what I say, and cares."

Makoto squeezed her shoulder and sat back. "Again, you are welcome. I am glad that I can be of some service, to you and to Kagome. You are without a doubt the most delightful – and interesting – friends I have ever had, and I am supremely grateful for our coincidental meeting."

Sango nodded, leaning her head against the rim of the well and closing her eyes. "Me, too," she said quietly, and Makoto smiled.


	11. Apologies and Loneliness

Hey everybody! Sorry it took me so long – I had a bunch of homework that I HATED and that kept me from the story. I try to update every day… and I haven't updated in two days… I'm so sorry! Let's go ahead and see how this next chapter turns out.

That's the weird thing. I never know how each chapter will start. That's why I like to babble now, at the beginning, so that I can think up some random idea for what'll happen. So, to take up more space and give you some more text to scroll down and not read (because nobody reads the author notes…) I'll do responses to reviewers!

Thanks to **silveryuki06 **for reviewing yet again. Don't worry, it'll turn out… but I get to be evil a little while longer. Okay, a lot while longer. Mwahaha! Kukuku!

**PenPusherM**, thanks for reviewing. I'm glad you like the story, even if you don't like Makoto. Not many people seem to. I admit, if I was reading the story, I'd think he was fishy, too… I'd freak out if I saw a guy like him just out on the streets of Atlanta. I swear, they just don't exist. Not that it wouldn't be _nice… _but still. Anyway, it's good that you're suspicious. Maybe he is evil. Maybe he isn't. Maybe he is and I'm trying to make you think he isn't… or maybe he isn't and I'm trying to make you think he is. Ha, now I've confused you even more!

To **lilpinkpookie**, I'm glad you love the story. So do I! It's so much fun to write… and it's especially fun to read all of your reviews and see what you think about Makoto. You're going to look back on them when the story's finished and see whether you were right about Makoto or not, and I bet a bunch of stuff you said will sound funny to you.

So, thanks to the three of you for reviewing, and keep it up!

Disclaimer: Makoto mine. Inuyasha not. (Can I make it any more brief than that?)

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Miroku was pacing. Once Kagome, Sango, and Makoto had gone, the others could find nothing to speak about. Inuyasha had walked off without saying where he was going. Kaede had gone out to find some more herbs; she was running low. Shippo and Kirara were out playing in the grass. Miroku was left to himself, and to his thoughts, which were quite frustrating.

So he paced.

Needless to say, his thoughts were on Sango. During the past few days, they had been angry with each other, and he hated it. Every time she ignored him, his heart crumbled slightly. Every time she shot him one of her glares, he broke down a little more inside. Miroku was weary of the constant argument. If apologizing to her was what it would take to get things to go back to normal, that's what he'd do.

So he paced. Miroku paced inside Kaede's hut, miserably trying to put his feelings into words. He had failed every attempt so far. The monk had never lacked words before, and the experience was quite frustrating. He could just make a simple apology, a mere "I'm sorry," but the words seemed too small. He felt he needed some way to make her truly believe he was sorry for what he had done, but he couldn't for the life of him think of anything.

"Flowers," he muttered to himself, deep in thought. "No, Sango was never into flowers. Uh… I'd just try talking to her, but she wouldn't listen… so… I could ask Kagome for help!" The monk brightened, but his good mood deflated just as quickly. "No, she's angry with me, too, because I'm angry with Sango. I could ask Inuyasha…" At this idea, Miroku laughed aloud. "Yeah, like that would help…"

And so it went for nearly an hour. Miroku finally stalked out the door and sat down on the hilltop, frustrated and angry with himself. "It's hopeless," he muttered, disheartened. "If I even try to talk to her, she'll just go off with Makoto…"

For the first time, Miroku was truly sorry they'd ever met Makoto.

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Kagome hauled herself up the side of the well, hand over hand, until she reached the top. Her backpack was almost three times as heavy now that she'd restocked it, and she'd forgotten how hard it was to climb out of the well hauling a bag as heavy as she was.

She reached up for the edge of the well – and her hand slipped.

Kagome yelped, feeling herself start to fall, and squeezed her eyes shut in anticipation of at least a few broken bones. Her mind raced to Inuyasha, who was probably nearby, but she gave up the idea just as quickly. Even if the hanyou had heard her and managed to get there before she hit the bottom of the well, he'd let her fall, if only to spite her. No, there was no one to save her, she realized with a pang of fear.

It was because of this revelation that the hand closing around her wrist shocked her so much.

Kagome's eyes opened into two gentle ones that she recognized instantly. "Makoto," she breathed in relief. The man gave her a slight smile and carefully pulled her up over the edge. He was alone; Sango had gone back to Kaede's a few minutes ago.

"Are you all right, Kagome?" Makoto asked in concern.

"Yeah," Kagome replied breathlessly. "Thanks, Makoto. You're a lifesaver."

"Come," he said with a smile. "Let us return to the village of your friend Kaede. I am sure the others will be delighted to see you again." Kagome snorted, but Makoto let it slide and merely led the way down the hill towards the small village. Kagome followed, hauling her bag along beside her.

Makoto noticed it and took it from her. Kagome blinked in surprise as the weight vanished from her back, and she was instantly reminded of Inuyasha, who would sometimes carry it for her. She pushed all thoughts of the hanyou from her mind and gave Makoto a thankful smile, which he returned wholeheartedly. Side by side, they approached the village to see Sango sitting outside, with Miroku a few yards away. Each was steadily ignoring the other, though Miroku looked downright miserable, and Sango had a faraway look in her eyes.

Kagome plunked down beside her friend and Makoto seated himself on Sango's other side. Sango greeted them both, and they all turned to glance over their shoulders as Kaede emerged from the hut just behind them.

"Come in and eat," she told them. "Inuyasha, Shippo, and Kirara are already inside. Ye should stay the night, and ye can leave in the morning."

Kagome smiled brightly at the priestess. "Thanks, Kaede," she said, and got to her feet. Makoto and Sango rose to follow her inside. Kaede held open the door and gestured to the table. Inuyasha was halfway finished already, and Shippo was munching steadily away on his share. He greeted them enthusiastically, though Inuyasha barely glanced up.

"Thank you, Kaede, for preparing this meal for us," Makoto said politely as he seated himself.

Kaede smiled at him. "Ye are welcome, child. Eat."

They did, and afterward they all retired for the night. Kagome, Sango, Miroku, and Inuyasha had a hard time falling asleep, as their thoughts were all on one another. Makoto was the only one who fell asleep with a clear mind that night.

Miroku was cursing himself for losing his nerve, and at the same time he was still trying – and failing – to come up with that apology. Inuyasha was trying to shove Kagome from his mind, and quickly found that it was like trying to wave away smoke – frustrating and utterly impossible. Kagome was sadly missing Inuyasha and remembering all the good times they had spent together. Sango was thinking of Miroku and all the nice things he'd done for her, which greatly outnumbered all the not-so-nice things (a.k.a. groping, perverted stuff, etc.). All of them were lonely, and the only thing they had to console themselves with was Makoto.

Sango closed her eyes and tried to will herself to sleep for the umpteenth time, and for the umpteenth time, she failed. The exterminator rolled over, heaving a weary sigh, and stared at the wall separating her room from the monk's.

"Miroku…" she whispered miserably into the darkness.


	12. Trust

Hey dudes. I'm so happy! I got four more reviews. Isn't that awesome? But I still haven't got any more reviews for my other story. Somebody read it! **Living for Love. **Read!

**Demonic Devils **is a new reviewer. You rule! And since so many people are nice enough to go ahead and review, I'll update every single day for you! Okay? All you people who keep asking me to review will get what you want. If I don't update once a day… you'll think of something to threaten me with.

**silveryuki06**: gasps in shock How could you be so mean! jk! It is sad, isn't it? Poor them… Well, thanks for reviewing (yet again)! You're the awesomest person ever. So many people are reluctant to review – even me. It's nice to have someone who likes it.

**lilpinkpookie**: My thoughts exactly. Great word usage.

**-Key of Minds-** It's okay, I sympathize. I'm a freshman now and high school is impossible to balance with fanfics. That's why I haven't updated in three days! (heh… forgive me!) Wait… did you just say you've started school _yesterday? _The 25th! We started two weeks ago! Not fair. Oh, thanks for reading the notes! I usually babble because no one does!

Everyone else: keep reading, and I hope you like it!

Disclaimer: Makoto mine. Inu not. (Ha! I made it even shorter!)

* * *

They set out from Kaede's fairly early the next day. The old priestess was sorry to see Makoto go. As far as she was concerned, he was the most polite and charming man she had ever met, and she had trusted him instantly. Kagome and Sango were delighted with this, as was Makoto himself. Inuyasha had merely ignored them all, though he had responded once or twice when Makoto spoke to him. He had developed a sort of respect for the man.

Makoto was walking with Miroku, as Kagome and Sango were busy gossiping. Shippo and Kirara had fallen asleep in the bright sunlight and were on the girls' shoulders. Inuyasha was, as usual, leading the group and walking alone.

"So," Miroku said, trying to strike up a conversation. "Kaede seemed to like you, Makoto."

"She is a delightful person. I was quite taken with her, as well, and am eternally indebted to her generosity. I can only hope that I will see her again one day, so that I may repay that debt."

Miroku smiled faintly. "I am sure you will see her again. You are traveling with us, after all, and we stop by the village quite often."

Makoto glanced at the monk. "I was under the impression that you mistrusted me, back in the days when we had just met," he said, searching Miroku's eyes for some response. "You and Inuyasha both chose to ignore me, and I had reason to believe that you did not take to me as Kagome and Sango did. What has changed your mind?"

The monk shrugged. "You, I suppose. How could anyone mistrust you?"

Makoto's eyes took on a light of amusement. "I suppose. May I pose another question, Miroku?"

"Of course," the monk nodded.

After a moment of thoughtful hesitation, Makoto spoke his mind. "Just now, you said that you expected I would see Kaede again, as I was traveling with you." At Miroku's nod, he continued. "How long, exactly, do you expect me to remain with you?"

"As long as it suits you," Miroku replied automatically.

"You do not object to my presence?"

"No," the monk said with a shake of his head. "Not at all. I quite enjoy it, really, now that I have everyone else angry with me." He heaved a sigh.

Makoto nodded, seemingly sympathetic to the monk's sorrow. "Do not fear, Miroku, I am sure that things will work out fine before long. I merely ask because I agreed to fight Naraku with you, and I did not know whether you would wish me gone when Naraku is destroyed and my help is no longer needed. Of course, if you wish to regain the normal lives you had before I came along, I would understand…"

"No," Miroku said, shaking his head. "I don't think Sango or Kagome would ever forgive me if I said you should go, and I don't really have a reason. So far, you haven't done a single thing that would give me any reason whatsoever to dislike or distrust you. As far as I'm concerned, you could stay for the rest of your life and you wouldn't hear a single complaint from me."

Makoto looked surprised. "Thank you, Miroku," he said, sounding sincere. "That means much to me."

The monk merely nodded and continued walking. Makoto fell back to speak with Kagome and Sango for a moment, and Miroku strode along the path alone for a while. Inuyasha glanced at the monk over his shoulder, but he didn't stop to speak with Miroku, and the houshi didn't speak to him, either. Silence descended upon them, broken only by the high voices of the girls from behind, and Makoto's low rumble laughing along with them.

Then, without warning, Inuyasha froze.

Miroku paused to glance at the hanyou, confused. Sango and Kagome noticed that he'd stopped walking and came to a halt behind him. Makoto's hand strayed to the hilts of his swords in alarm. "What is it, Inuyasha?" he asked quietly, ready for whatever danger might leap out at them.

The half-demon didn't answer, but sniffed the air once or twice. They all watched him, wondering what was the matter, and suddenly he turned to stare over Sango's shoulder at the hill they had just walked down.

Standing there, watching them, was Kikyo.

Kagome tensed and took a step back. None of the meetings she'd had with the priestess in the past had been pleasant, and she'd learned from experience to be wary whenever Kikyo was near. But the dead woman didn't even glance her way. As she began to descend towards them, her soul-catching demons wafting lazily about her, Kikyo had eyes only for Makoto.

Inuyasha stepped forward to meet her, a strange light in his eyes, and Kagome felt her heart catch with pain at the sight of it. Kikyo merely brushed past him and stopped in front of Makoto, whose eyes were narrowed.

For a moment, all was silent, and the two merely gazed at one another as though in a battle of nerve. Makoto won, and Kikyo looked away, letting her eyes settle on Kagome.

"I see you have picked up another stray," she said, her tone condescending.

Kagome clenched her fist tighter, but didn't respond.

Kikyo turned her lifeless eyes back on Makoto and considered him a moment longer. Miroku wasn't sure, but it almost seemed as though there was some light of recognition in her gaze, as though she knew Makoto from somewhere.

"Interesting," was all Kikyo said, and her voice was soft and thoughtful.

Makoto's eyes narrowed even further in warning and his hand closed on the hilt of his sword. Kikyo seemed unfazed, and turned back to the road, though the thoughtful look never left her eyes.

"I cannot linger," Kikyo said simply, and her soul-catching demons arched down to lift her into the air. She turned her back on them without sparing Inuyasha even the slightest glance. "I have more important business to attend to."

And she was gone.

Slowly, one by one, they turned to stare at Makoto. He had a look of surprise and confusion on his face, and for a moment Kagome forgot the gravity of the situation and wished she had a camera. At once, she took ahold of herself and coached her features into a frown. "Makoto, what was that all about?" she asked, wondering whether there was more behind her friend than she had suspected.

"I honestly do not know," he replied, and the look on his face was indeed clueless. "I could not begin to guess who that was, for I have never seen the like of her before, though I did notice that she looks quite like you, Kagome."

"That was Kikyo," Kagome said, glancing back up at the fading speck in the sky that was the priestess. "I'm her reincarnation. That's why we look alike."

Makoto nodded. "The priestess from fifty years ago that was betrayed by Naraku."

"Good memory," Kagome noted.

"Makoto," Sango said hesitantly, "are you sure you've never seen her before?"

"Quite certain," he responded innocently.

Miroku gave him a hard look. "It did seem rather as though she recognized you," he said quietly, trying to fit together the pieces of the puzzle. He couldn't do it; they were too jumbled up.

Sango had a better idea of what was going on. "You know," she said after a moment, "Kikyo _is _in league with Naraku, now that she is back from the dead with her second body. And Naraku was attacking you when we first met. I think that there must be some connection there. Kikyo obviously knows you, and Naraku must have, as well."

"Why do you assume that?" Makoto said, seeming almost wary. "Naraku may have simply attacked me because I stumbled across him and angered him."

"He may have," Inuyasha interrupted, "but Naraku's not like that. When you know him as well as we do, you know he never attacks just anybody. There's always a reason behind it."

"And if Kikyo knows you…" Kagome started.

"Then Naraku must, too," Sango finished.

"It makes sense," Miroku added, and everyone paused to give Makoto a chance to speak.

The man sighed, and they saw that he looked weary. "I do not know what to tell you, for I do not know what is going on. Perhaps I have met the priestess you speak of before, and I simply do not recall the instance. Perhaps I have even met Naraku before and did not realize it. Or, perhaps, I met Naraku in another form and gave him reason to dislike me. There are any number of things I could have done to win either of their attention. I simply cannot account for either of them."

They looked into his eyes, and they saw honesty, and immediately they believed him. Kagome felt herself crumble and immediately scolded herself. Why had she been so hard on him? Makoto was just a nice guy trying to help them beat Naraku, and here they had taken every opportunity to bust him when there was nothing to bust. It was obvious he wasn't lying. They were just trying to find some reason to distrust him because it's human nature to be suspicious.

"I'm sorry, Makoto," she said sadly, meeting his eyes. "I know you wouldn't lie to us."

Makoto gave her a slight smile. "It is all right, Kagome. I am sure, were I in your place, I would be suspicious of me, as well. You have done nothing wrong. I can only hope that, with time, you will begin to trust me, and trust that I mean you no ill will. Whoever this Naraku is, it is obvious that he has deeply wronged you, and for that alone I will fight him until I am either victorious or dead."

Tears rose in Kagome's eyes, and she threw herself at him. Makoto comforted her and exchanged a glance with Miroku and Sango over her head. The demon exterminator was giving him an apologetic smile, which he returned, and Miroku looked rather sheepish. He gave the monk the same forgiving smile and released Kagome before glancing at Inuyasha.

The hanyou was eyeing him warily. Makoto sighed and approached him. "Inuyasha," he started, "I know that you did not like or trust me when we first met, and I respect your opinion. I must admit that the circumstances point to me being guilty. I have no excuse; I have only my word that I know not this Kikyo, nor Naraku, except from what you have told me. Please, simply give me a chance to prove to you that I am worth the trust you will not place in me now."

"No."

Kagome and Sango looked up sharply. Shippo and Kirara exchanged a nervous glance; if Inuyasha didn't get his act together, there were bound to be quite a few 'sits' on the way. Miroku looked as though he would go stand by Makoto and defend him to the end. Makoto himself looked rather wounded and hurt, though he seemed ready to accept whatever answer he got.

All of them were expecting the worst, and none were prepared for what Inuyasha said next. "No, Makoto," the hanyou said slowly. "I think I already trust you."

-End-

* * *

That's all, folks! One story done, another to come… that's right, this is just the first in a trilogy! Go and read the next one; it'll be out soon, I promise. Thanks for reading! 


	13. Loneliness

Okay, for anyone wondering why this story has more chapters than it used to, I'm adding all my three stories together to make a sort of trilogy-in-one. I'm taking **Confusion **off and adding it onto **Trust **so that I just have one long continuous story. Hope nobody minds.

First of all, I'd like to thank **silveryuki06, Fanficluv7Inu,** and **-Key of Minds-** for reviewing the last chapter of Trust. You guys are awesome! I love you, my loyal reviewers! I hope you read this story, too, and review it as well! That would be so awesome… I need more feedback so I can decide which way to go (I've got multiple ideas for the ending).

So, let's get started!

Disclaimer: I don't own anybody but Makoto. He's still mine! You can borrow him if you want, but only if you ask first!

* * *

"Hey, Makoto! Catch!"

Makoto laughed and caught the thermos in one hand. "Thank you, Kagome," he said brightly, and unscrewed the lid, taking up the spoon Shippo handed him.

The group was seated on a red and white checkered picnic blanket, snacking on food from Kagome's time. Shippo and Kirara were laughing as they ate, and the young fox demon had his mouth full of food. Miroku was munching away happily and chatting with Makoto. Inuyasha was hungrily sucking up as many ramen noodles as could fit in his mouth at a time. Sango and Kagome were laughing with one another. From an outsider's point of view, they looked like the perfect group, happy and content.

That outsider would be terribly wrong.

Life for the group had changed drastically since that fateful meeting with Makoto. It seemed like so long ago… and none of them had gone through with apologizing. With Inuyasha's final acceptance of Makoto, a sort of peace had come over the group, and Sango and Miroku had silently agreed to a truce, as had Kagome and Inuyasha. Though they were no longer the best friends that they had been before Makoto's coming, they put up with one another, and they took advantage of Makoto to keep them company.

It wasn't enough, and every day they felt themselves despairing more and more, for as time passed they realized that the friendship they had once had was broken, lost, unattainable. They could never regain the life they used to enjoy so much. Makoto's interference was something none of them lamented; he was a great friend, a good listener, and a shoulder to cry on if they needed him to be. But at the same time, they all wished, in the dark corners of their minds, for their old lives back. They wanted that friendship between each other, that love, that they no longer had.

But none of them could find a way to put this into words, and none of them had the courage to attempt it; and so life went on much as it had for the past few months, and they all appeared content, though their minds were truly a whirlwind of sorrow and pain underneath, and only Makoto's contentment was real.

"So, we've got most of the shards by now," Kagome said brightly. "And we're getting closer to finding Naraku, too. You're a great help, Makoto!"

The man gave her a smile and bit into a roll. "I am glad to be of assistance, Kagome."

Sango laughed as she watched Shippo and Kirara. The two young demons were rolling about in the grass, play-fighting, having a great time. Their food sat on the edge of the blanket, forgotten. Inuyasha watched them with the shadow of a smile on his face, which was rare – the hanyou didn't smile often anymore, now that he had no reason. Kagome used to be his reason… but Kagome was gone.

Shaking himself, the hanyou went back to his food. He didn't need Kagome. He didn't need anyone. He was fine on his own. Kagome was, after all, nothing but a shard detector. He could care less whether she hated him or not.

And yet, deep down in the shadowy corners of his heart that he would reveal to no one, he knew this was not true.

He did care. He cared more than even he knew, more than he could imagine, more than anyone would believe. He cared about Kagome, and he would give anything to have her not be mad at him… but he couldn't. She had Makoto now, and he just had to live with the fact that she was no longer his. He had his chance at Kagome, and he'd blown it. In all actuality, he realized sadly, he'd had far too many chances.

Every time he'd gone to Kikyo and not her, he had hurt her a little more. Every time he ignored her, every time he called her names, every time he snarled at her or turned his back on her or yelled at her, he had pushed her away a little more. All this time, all he'd wanted was her, and he'd ruined his chances without even realizing it. How could he be so _stupid!_

And now that Makoto was there for her, Kagome was gone. Yes, she was sitting right there across from him, but… he could never actually talk to her again. Yes, that bright smile still lit up her face, but never again would it be directed at him. Yes, her eyes still sparkled whenever she spoke to her friends, but that sparkle was replaced with a tired, sad look of dislike whenever she turned to him. It broke his heart, and he would turn away, and hurt her a little more without meaning to, and hate himself for it.

But pride is perhaps the worst of human attributes, and it was because of pride that none of them could find it in themselves to admit the pain that wounded their hearts; and so they lived their lives on in such a fashion, with their pride, but without love; and they wore masks to cover their sorrow and self-hate, and they pretended to be content; but never in the history of the world had there been four more desolate souls than they.


	14. Missing the Boys

First of all, I'm so sorry I haven't updated in a while – my computer broke down, and now I have to save up some hundreds of dollars to fix it (which I don't have, if you've read my disclaimers!). Right now I'm borrowing one, and it's a real pain because I already had a bunch of chapters planned out on mine... so we'll just see how these come out, and hope that they're as good as the originals! Sorry for the trouble, I'll fix it as soon as I can!

Thanks to **silveryukio6 **and **Fanficluv7Inu** for reviewing yet again. You guys have been reviewing my stories so often that I can actually type your names from memory! That's saying something, since I usually have to peek at the review to see how to spell usernames. You guys rule! Yeah, the first chapter was really sad, but it's all their own fault... if only somebody would apologize... well, I guess that that's technically my fault, since I'm the one who isn't letting them apologize... but it ends up happy, don't worry! It'll just take a while!

Disclaimer: I own Makoto, but not Inu. Don't sue! I need all my $$ to pay for my computer!

* * *

"Hiraikotsu!"

The giant boomerang swept through the air and slashed through the demon's chest, sending it reeling backwards with a low scream of pain. Inuyasha took advantage of this to slash a great gash across its face with Tetsusaiga. Once again, the demon screamed, and it lashed out blindly towards the hanyou. Its powerfully clawed hand struck Inuyasha, who was sent tumbling away. Makoto dodged around another blow, his twin swords in his hands, and struck the demon squarely in the forehead, where its shard was located.

Immediately, the creature crumbled to dust, leaving two shimmering shards in its place.

Kagome cheered and fused them with the rest of their jewel. They had over half the pieces – there were very few left in the wild, and only one or two remained that Naraku or Kouga didn't have.

"This is so awesome," Kagome said happily. "We've gotten so many shards since you showed up, Makoto!"

"I am proud to be of service to you, Kagome," he said as he sheathed his swords.

Inuyasha silently put away Tetsusaiga. _Before Makoto came along, _he thought sadly, _I was the one Kagome complimented for getting shards. Now she only cares about Makoto. _

Miroku murmured a prayer for the fallen demon and turned back to the group. To his surprise, Sango was staring at him from behind Kagome. The huntress had a strange, faraway look in her eyes that seemed both sad and angry. The instant his eyes met hers, she turned away and fiddled with Hiraikotsu. Miroku narrowed his eyes thoughtfully, wondering what that look had meant.

"Sango?" Makoto asked, noticing that she had remained silent. "Are you all right?"

"Yes," she said at once, smiling at him and blinking out of her trance. "Yes, I'm fine, thank you. Which direction shall we travel in, now that the shards are ours?"

Makoto nodded his head in the direction of a nearby mountain. "I would suggest that we move in that direction," he said, and they followed his eyes to the towering structure. "I have ventured over that peak before. There are many demons that dwell in the mountain, and I would not be surprised if at least one held a shard."

"I don't sense one," Kagome said after a moment of concentration.

Makoto shook his head. "I would not expect you to. The demons live far, far underground. You would probably not sense such a shard unless you stood upon the mountain itself." He glanced at them all over his shoulder. "I do not know whether a shard lies there or not, but it is a way to go when we have none. What do you say?"

"We got nothin' to lose," Inuyasha shrugged, and the group turned their feet towards the mountain in the distance.

It was almost dusk when they reached it. As they came upon the rocks at the base, Kagome turned to Makoto. "You were right," she said suddenly. "It's true – I sense a shard. Two. There's two shards, way deep down under the mountain."

Makoto smiled at her. "That is a relief. I would not have liked to have dragged you all out here for nothing."

"We wouldn't mind," Sango said with a smile. "We all make mistakes."

Miroku lowered his eyes. Whether Sango had meant that to be a stab at him or not, he saw the truth in her words, and he was pained by the fact that his mistake had caused her to hate him. _I am so sorry, Sango, _he cried silently, watching as she joked with Kagome and Makoto. _I am sorry that I did what I did... sorry that I never apologized... sorry that I am too cowardly to tell you how much I..._ He took a deep breath, causing Inuyasha to glance at him quizzically.

_How much I love you..._

Sango's voice, laughing in delight at something Makoto had said, cut through his mind like a knife, and he winced slightly. Inuyasha glanced at him once more, confused by Miroku's strange actions. The houshi ignored him, instead listening to Sango's laugh, wishing times were as they used to be, when _he _was the one who drew that laugh from her, when _he _was the one walking by her side...

_I'm sorry, Sango, _he thought sadly.

Sango turned and glanced at Miroku out of the corner of her eyes as Makoto spoke with Kagome. Sure, talking with their newest friend was great, but she missed hanging out with Miroku even more. Makoto was witty, and smart, and considerate... and he always knew the right thing to say... but he still wasn't enough to make up for Miroku. He was a wonderful friend, Makoto, and she would stick by him forever, but no matter how much she talked and joked with him, she couldn't force Miroku from her mind.

_Why don't I just apologize? _she thought, studying the monk as he trudged on ahead of them. _He looks so lonely. I miss him... why should we both have to suffer like this? _

Makoto glanced over at her. "Sango," he said gently, "what is wrong? You look troubled."

"I am," she admitted, turning to look at him and Kagome. "I don't know what to do, Makoto."

"About what?" he asked kindly.

"Miroku," she said quietly, trying to make her voice soft enough that the monk could not overhear her. "I still think he shouldn't have done what he did, but I don't want to go on hating him forever..."

"I would still advise you do to as I said," Makoto said to her, "and wait for him to apologize. It was he who wronged you, Sango, and not the other way around. If he is to be forgiven, he must have the courage to admit that he was in the wrong; otherwise, he is not worth whatever apology you could give."

Sango looked down at her feet and was silent for a moment. "I know," she said finally, "but I miss him..."

"I miss Inuyasha, too," Kagome said softly, biting her lip. "I mean, he only wanted to keep me here so that we could get more shards and stop Naraku, which I can understand..."

"I know that you miss Inuyasha and Miroku," Makoto said to them, "but you must have patience. In time, they will realize what wonderful young ladies they are missing, and they will return to you, and ask your forgiveness. By all means, forgive them; I myself am hoping that they will soon come to you, for I tire of seeing you all so angry with each other. You must wait for them to apologize. If they do not learn to put their pride away and lower themselves to say that they are sorry, they will forever think themselves better than you, and you will never understand one another."

The two girls looked at each other sadly. "You're right," Kagome said after a moment. "I'm always the one who apologizes. Inuyasha _never _says he's sorry. Right, Sango?"

"That's true," the huntress nodded. "He doesn't."

"He already thinks he's so much better than me," Kagome continued, trying to find solace from her misery. "I'll wait for him to apologize, like you said, Makoto. He's too arrogant for his own good."

"And you will surely change him," the man said comfortingly. "Be merry; I am sure that it is only a matter of time, and seeing you both so miserable is dampening my mood. Let us forget all of our worries for the time, and continue on in happiness, and enjoy the beautiful day."

"Yeah," Kagome said, and a smile crossed her face. "Let's."


	15. Inside the Mountain

Hello again! My computer's still not fixed, and this one I'm on right now can't access the internet, so this might take a while to update... I'm so sorry! Don't hate me! I'm trying, I promise!

Thanks, **FanficLuv7Inu**, for reviewing again! Yeah, Makoto is sweet... but he's mine! (kicks and punches FanficLuv7Inu desperately to defend Makoto) heh, jk. You can have him! Oh, crap... I forgot Shippo and Kirara! Heh, thanks for reminding me. I'll put them in this chappie, promise!

Disclaimer: Makoto is all mine... except for FanficLuv7Inu, you can share him too!

* * *

"How much longer before we get to the cave?" Shippo whined, glancing up at Inuyasha. 

The hanyou's patience was growing thin. Shippo had been asking the same question ever since they set foot on the mountain's base. Kagome had put up with the kitsune for a while, but she finally stopped answering, and so Shippo moved on to Inuyasha.

Shaking his head, Makoto moved to walk beside the hanyou. "It is not far, Shippo," he said to the kit. "I believe that we are close now. Please, for all of our sakes, do not ask Inuyasha that question again; his patience is already growing thin, and I believe he will bring down the entire mountain in his frustration if you ask him again."

Shippo laughed and bounced over to Miroku. The monk smiled at the kitsune and stroked Kirara, who was perched on his other shoulder. Inuyasha breathed a sigh of relief, thankful to be away from the tiny furred menace. Makoto gave the hanyou an amused look and continued trekking up the rocky slopes.

"Were you just making that up, or are we actually close?" Inuyasha asked.

Makoto shook his head. "No, that is true. The cavern that leads to the bowels of the mountain is not far... in fact, we should be no more than another hundred feet from it, if my memory serves me correctly, which it has never failed to do before."

Shippo, who was now perched atop Miroku's head, began to jump up and down. "Look!" he cried, pointing with a chubby finger to their right. "There it is!"

Sure enough, a great crevice gaped in the side of the mountain, and the shadows inside blocked their view of the inside. Makoto smiled and moved towards it, nodding in recognition. "You have a good eye, Shippo," he said approvingly. "This is it, indeed. Come; let us venture inside. Kagome, can you still sense that shard?"

"Yeah," she nodded. "It's getting closer. We're going the right way."

"Good," Makoto said, and moved into the cave. "Let us continue, then. It is about an hour's walk to the center of the mountain." He glanced around the cave as he waited for them to catch up. "I believe, however, that we shall find some excitement along the way. Keep your weapons in hand. There are quite a few demons standing between us and the shard. They are weak, true, and easily overcome, but they are numerous, and would not give up the shard willingly."

Sango and Kagome moved closer together, the former clutching Hiraikotsu, the latter having already notched an arrow on her bow. Shippo stuck to Miroku like glue, and the monk held up his staff at the ready. Tetsusaiga was unsheathed, as were Makoto's twin swords. Together, bravely, silently, they all descended into the darkness.

It wasn't long before the first attack came. The demon sped towards them with a furious snarl. As he was at the front of the group, Makoto was closest, and before any of them could move, he had slashed the demon in two. As it fell lifelessly to the floor, he moved around it, gesturing for them to follow.

Three other demons attacked them in a similar fashion. They destroyed all of them, and finally came to the center of the mountain, where the tunnel widened into a great cavern.

"Wow," Kagome breathed, awed.

The walls of the great underground cave were speckled with shards of diamond, and of quartz, and of jade and sapphire. The place was like a jewel mine, except that there were no people to mine it. They stared around the room, eyes wide, and took in the amazing sight.

So staggered were they by the shimmering jewels that they were completely unaware of the attack that came from behind them.

A dark blur shot across the room and slammed into Kagome. She screamed, and immediately Makoto and Inuyasha were there. The hanyou struck with Tetsusaiga, and the dark creature backed off, snarling. Makoto moved around to its other side and slashed out, forcing their enemy into the light.

It was Naraku.

Immediately Kagome got to her feet and stumbled away, already fumbling for an arrow. Shippo leaped onto her shoulder and watched, eyes wide, as Miroku and Sango moved to stand before Naraku, who was smirking slightly at them all. "So," he said in a soft voice, "you've finally found me."

"It's just a puppet," Kagome said warily, "but it's got three shards!"

Inuyasha snarled and pointed Tetsusaiga at Naraku warningly. "They won't be his for long," he spat, hatred dripping from his voice. "I'll hack 'em out of his body if I have to!"

Naraku laughed quietly. "Kukuku... Inuyasha, you never fail to amuse me."

Inuyasha leaped at Naraku. "Shut up!" he yelled, slashing downwards with Tetsusaiga.

A great wave of tentacles burst from Naraku's body and blocked the sword's strike. Inuyasha fell back, cursing darkly, and began lopping the tentacles off. Makoto and Miroku were doing the same, while Sango aimed as close to Naraku as she could while hewing them off with Hiraikotsu. Kirara bit and scratched at the barrage of tentacles, snarling angrily at Naraku. Again and again they struck, but it seemed they made no dent in the puppet's defenses, and it was obvious that they were beginning to tire.

Kagome swallowed nervously as she aimed her bow. "I've only got one shot while he's distracted," she told herself firmly. "Once I shoot this off, he'll notice me, and then I'll be in trouble. I've got to make this shot count. Come on, Kagome... just aim for his heart..."

Shippo watched with wide eyes as she released her arrow. It soared towards the dark hanyou, who didn't notice until it was far too late for him to react. Kagome threw her arms up and cheered, thinking that the battle was over, that they had won, that there would be no more fighting...

But as the shard pierced Naraku's puppet perfectly in the heart, the great mass of tentacles began to thrash all over the place, slamming into the walls, tearing at the ceiling and the floor, sneaking into the cracks in the rock and ripping at them. So great was the force of this final struggle that the entire cavern began to cave in around them. The puppet crumbled, leaving behind a broken doll and three shards, which Makoto managed to grab before the first parts of the ceiling fell down around him.

"Get out!" Makoto cried, running at Kagome and grabbing her arm to pull her after him. She ran with him towards the exit, clasping Shippo to her, trying to run with all her might... but it wasn't enough to get them through to the main path, and Makoto quickly pulled her into another, smaller passageway. She yelled as Shippo was torn from her arms, but there was nothing she could do, and the terrible roar of falling rocks drowned her cry. As the quartz and diamond and sapphire shards flew past, Makoto knelt on the ground, holding Kagome's body under him to protect her. She held her breath, squeezing her eyes shut, and waited for the terrible quake to stop.

For a moment, the air was full of the sounds of rock and stone as the landslide raged on, but soon it began to settle, and an eerie silence descended upon them.

Makoto slowly got to his feet and gave Kagome a hand up. She stood close to him, shaking slightly with fear as she stared at the doorway they had just come through. The entire thing was blocked, and they had no way to reach the others.

"What do we do?" Kagome said softly, staring at the great pile of rocks.

Makoto didn't answer.

Hesitantly, as though afraid of the answer she would receive, Kagome looked up at Makoto and shook him slightly. "Makoto? What do we do? How do we find the others if we can't go back..."

"We cannot find them now," he answered in a quiet voice, "unless we manage to find a way that leads into the open. I have traversed these caves before, and there are very few that actually lead to the outside." He looked down at her. "None of them connect with one another, either, except for in that room – the very one we can no longer reach."

Kagome swallowed. "So... we just walk the only way we can and hope it's the right way?"

Makoto nodded, and turned down the path, gesturing for Kagome to follow. "I suppose that is the only choice left to us. I can only hope that this path does not cross the abyss."

"What?" Kagome yelped, freezing. "What abyss?"

"There is a great chasm that stretches across the heart of this mountain," Makoto explained, looking back at her. "Some of the paths come across the abyss, and are nearly impossible to travel along. We must hope that this is not one of those, and that the others do not chance upon the great chasm."

Kagome groaned. Makoto sighed and turned back. "Do not worry, Kagome," he said to her kindly. "I am sure that the others will make it back all right. Kirara can fly, can she not? She can bear them across the abyss... and I am certain that Inuyasha can find some way to cross, as well."

"I guess..." Kagome said quietly. After a moment of silence, she glanced back up at him. "At least I've got you with me," she said with a slight smile.

Makoto said nothing.


	16. Time to Start Over

Man, I'm so sorry for not updating! My laptop broke and I had to send out for a new one, which I didn't get until Christmas, and then after that I had to recover all the old documents off my old hard drive so that I could continue this story. I'm so sorry! It's been almost four months! I miss the story! Ok, I'm just gonna write now so you don't have to listen to me babble… Aw, I've forgotten everything that happened, I have to go back and read the first part of the story to remember what I'm writing!

**Disclaimer: **Makoto's mine, although he's been alone for four months… he better not have hooked up with any hot Feudal Age Japanese chicks while I was gone!

Happy reading!

Review, please!

* * *

It was incredibly dark in the tunnel, and Kagome was getting incredibly tired. Makoto hadn't said a word since they'd started walking. His silence was starting to make Kagome worried. Was their situation really that hopeless, that he wouldn't even speak to her?

"Makoto," she said finally in a small voice, "I'm scared."

The man glanced back at her over his shoulder in surprise, as though he had forgotten she was there. When he had processed her words, a look of concern came into his eyes. "Why is that?"

"We're lost, aren't we?" Kagome asked shakily.

Makoto sighed. "We simply haven't found a way out yet, Kagome. Do not fear; I will not give up hope. We will escape from this place and find the others, and everything will be fine."

Kagome looked down. "You're just trying to make me feel better."

They came to a place where the path widened into a sort of room, just large enough for them to sit alongside the road. Makoto took her by the arm and led her off the road to sit down on the flood. "Hey," he said gently, "it's all right. I swear to you that I will not let us die down here. I will find our way out, and I will save you." He gave her a slight smile. "Hope is not yet lost, Kagome. Now, do not despair. Frowns do not suit your beautiful face."

Kagome looked up at him in surprise. His dark eyes were gazing steadily at her, and there was a look in them that she couldn't quite place. It sent chills up and down her spine, chills that she both loved and hated at the same time. Her breath caught in her throat as Makoto gently reached up and trailed the tips of his fingers across her cheek.

"We… we should get some sleep," Kagome said hesitatingly.

Makoto nodded slowly and lowered his hand again. "You are right," he said, still studying her with that piercing gaze. "We shall rest for the night and take up our walk in the morning. There is no wood for a fire, but we have blankets, so we will simply have to sleep close to one another for body warmth." He reached into his pack and drew out a blanket, which he lay on the cold stone to make it less hard and icy. He settled onto it, leaving room for Kagome to lie down beside him.

She hesitated. Sure, she trusted Makoto with her life, but he was still a guy, and they were alone, and nobody would hear her shout if he jumped on her… but she thrust those thoughts away and quickly lay down at his side. She knew him better than that. He was an honorable man, and she wasn't going to insult him, even in her mind, by thinking that he would try and seduce her.

Sure enough, Makoto simply took a second blanket and spread it over them both before lying back and closing his eyes. "Good night," he murmured, and soon he was deeply asleep.

Kagome lay awake, battling sleep, afraid of the shadows that twisted in the dark, playing tricks on her eyes. Eventually, despite her growing fear of the dark, she felt sleep weighing down on her eyes and slid them shut. Within a minute she, too, was drifting off to the peaceful land of dreams…

Inuyasha was there, just in front of her, surrounded by tendrils of mist that twined around his legs like white hands. She was reminded of Kikyo and the priestess's promise to drag Inuyasha to hell. The hanyou's eyes were sad, and he whispered, "Why, Kagome?" She reached out for him, but he seemed to drift away from her and fade away. She tried to step towards him but couldn't move. She vaguely heard a dark laugh echo around her, and recognized it as Makoto's. Inuyasha's eyes stared into hers, and he reached out for her… Kagome reached for him with all her might… there was blood on her hand… Inuyasha was fading fast, he was hardly there, he was gone…

"Kagome!"

The young girl jerked upright, gasping for breath. She was covered in sweat. For an instant, she thought it was blood and panicked. Makoto's steady hand on her shoulder shook her out of her shock and fear, and she looked up into his face, shaking violently.

Makoto gazed down at her in concern. "Kagome, are you all right? You were whimpering, tossing and turning and reaching out for something you couldn't quite grasp…"

"I'm fine," she said shortly, staring into space, deeply shaken. "Just… a nightmare, that's all."

The concerned man eyed her for a moment, and she could tell he was worried. She gave him a slight smile. "It's all right, I'll be fine. I just had a bad dream."

Makoto nodded. His grip on her shoulder tightened for a moment before he let her go. "If you say so, Kagome," he said trustingly. "Do you wish to remain here and rest longer, or do you wish to move on? I will do whatever you wish of me. We are in no particular rush."

"I want to rest a little," she said, lying back. "I don't think I'm up to walking much."

Makoto gave her a smile. "That is fine," he assured her. "Rest. If you still tire, then I will carry you."

Kagome smiled back up at him and closed her eyes. Her dream had confused and worried her. She felt like she was losing Inuyasha, both in the dream and in real life. They had gotten into an argument, one that was no different from any other… but then they'd met Makoto, and they'd never made up, and now neither could find the courage to do so.

In fact, she realized with a sinking feeling, she might never even see the hanyou again…

This was a terrible train of thought. The very idea of never seeing Inuyasha again was almost more than she could bear. Her heart wrenched painfully and she swallowed a slight sob. The hanyou was dear to her, a great friend as well as the man she loved. She couldn't lose him…

But at least she had Makoto. He, too, was a great friend, and handsome, and kind, and trusting, and caring, and… basically, he was perfect. What girl _wouldn't _want to get caught in an underground maze for days with a guy like that?

The only problem was Kagome's pure conscience. Sure, Makoto seemed like the ideal guy, but she felt like she would be betraying Inuyasha if she got involved with him…

Then again, Inuyasha obviously didn't care enough to even apologize to her, so why shouldn't she just go for Makoto? At least he wasn't afraid to show that he cared, like Inuyasha. He was gentle. He would never yell at her or curse at her or call her all the rotten names Inuyasha loved. And he would never, ever go for Kikyo; or any other woman, for that matter. Kagome was sure of that. His honor was the entire reason he had traveled with them in the first place – to repay the debt he owed them.

_Yeah, _Kagome thought to herself determinedly. _Makoto's the kind of guy I need. I'll do my best to forget Inuyasha. We would never have worked anyway. I know he doesn't love me, and he can't even see how much I love him. Makoto isn't like that. Makoto… he's what I need. He's what I want._

Still, her mind whispered to her that she would never be truly happy without Inuyasha…

"Kagome?" Makoto asked gently, leaning over her. "You appear troubled."

"It's nothing," she said quickly, looking up into his eyes. "Come on, I'm too restless to sleep. Let's just go. The sooner we get moving, the sooner we'll get out of here."

Makoto reached out and offered her his hand. She took it with a smile and got to her feet. Her smile widened as Makoto reached over and took her pack for her, shouldering it and moving on without a word. It reminded her of the time when Inuyasha had taken her pack from her back and jumped into the well with it to save her the trouble… but Inuyasha was in the past now, she told herself. She wasn't going to linger on a love that was unreturned, on a wish that would never be granted.

Inuyasha had broken her heart too many times. It was time to start over.


	17. The Kiss and the Abyss

**Disclaimer: **I own Makoto. You guys can have the rest.

* * *

It was incredibly dark inside the tunnel, despite the dim light from Kagome's flashlight. Makoto was walking in front of her so that any danger would hit him first. His hand was on his sword hilt and his eyes flitted about, catching every shadow, every whisper, every tiny disturbance. Kagome envied his ability to stay awake.

Her nightmare had drained most of her energy, and the little she had left was wasted on worrying about it. The idea that Inuyasha was fading away from her life… it disturbed her.

Still, the idea that Makoto might take his place… the idea that she might have someone who would really love her… that was exciting, something she looked forward to. After such a long time of having to put up with a man who insulted her every waking moment, she needed someone who would be kind to her and love her and treat her the way she deserved to be treated.

But how was she supposed to tell Makoto that she was falling for him? Blurt it out to his face? That was something only Hojo was brave (and stupid) enough to do. Sometimes Kagome did wish she had his guts, it was true, but she felt like that just wasn't the right way…

So engrossed was she in her thoughts that Kagome failed to see the crack in the floor before her. She stubbed her toe on it and tripped with a yelp. She squeezed her eyes shut, expecting to feel the cold, unforgiving stone against her body and a good deal of pain, but instead she felt something soft.

Slowly, she opened her eyes and saw Makoto standing just in front of her. He had caught her in his arms when she fell, and now their faces were but inches apart. She could see that look in his eyes – the one she couldn't place, the one she both hated and loved at the same time.

Very, very slowly, Makoto slid an arm around her waist and leaned down to kiss her.

Kagome stiffened for an instant as a mental image of Inuyasha flashed into her mind. The look on his face, sorrow and pain, almost made her panic. All at once, she wanted to tear herself away from Makoto and run from him, find Inuyasha again, apologize to him, make everything all right…

_No, _she told herself firmly. _That's what I always do, run back to Inuyasha, and I always end up miserable. He's never going to change…_

Kagome felt Makoto start to break away from her. He could tell she wasn't responding. She watched as he opened his mouth, probably to apologize, and made up her mind all at once with a determination she hadn't known she possessed.

_So I will._

Makoto blinked in surprise as Kagome leaned up and kissed him. Without wasting any time, he leaned down and kissed her back, winding his arm tighter around her waist. Though Kagome couldn't see it, a small, almost invisible smile had made its way across his handsome features.

Kagome was in a daze. Makoto's kiss was causing her to feel things she had thought she would only ever feel for Inuyasha, things that made her head spin and her knees grow weak. A little voice straining to be heard in the back of her mind told her that it wasn't the same, that this wasn't the same as what she felt for Inuyasha… but Kagome needed so badly to be loved, appreciated, cared for, respected, that she paid no attention to the voice and concentrated all her attention on Makoto.

"Kagome!"

She held Makoto tighter and let him deepen the kiss. That was Inuyasha's voice. It wasn't enough that he haunted her in her sleep; now he was haunting her mind while she was awake, too, and trying to enjoy the best kiss she had ever gotten.

"Kagome!"

The hanyou wouldn't leave her alone. Always, he nagged at the corners of her mind, reminding her of a love that was painful, a love she wanted to forget. She wondered if she would ever be rid of him, of the memory of him.

"Makoto!"

Kagome blinked in surprise and drew back from Makoto. That wasn't Inuyasha's voice. It was female. It was… Sango! She wasn't imagining the voices, they were really there! It was the others!

Shippo's voice reached her ears next. "Kagome! Makoto! Where are you!"

Makoto's ears pricked up and he turned his head towards the sound. Kagome almost laughed in relief. She wasn't imagining it – he could hear the voices, too! They were found!

Without thinking, she tore away from him and set off towards the voices at a run, leaving a stunned and very much alone Makoto standing in the tunnel behind her. He stared after her, unmoving, and there was a dark look in his eyes that was probably aimed at the others for interrupting such a perfect moment.

"Damn it," he muttered.

A terrified scream from just up the path snapped his attention back to reality. That was Kagome's scream, he would know it anywhere. She was in danger, and he wasn't there to save her.

Makoto broke into a run. His hands went to his swords and he gripped the hilts tightly, ready to draw them and strike if anything dared touch her. He sped through the dark tunnels, hurtled around a sharp corner, and skidded to a halt as the narrow path widened into a massive cavern.

Before him, like a dark, gaping mouth, lay the abyss.

Out of the corner of his eye, Makoto saw a flash of red and knew Inuyasha had arrived. The hanyou was on the other side of the cavern, more than a thousand feet away, where one of many paths ended abruptly at the edge of the massive hole. Makoto knew that the others would follow soon after, but he didn't waste his time looking up at them. He had eyes only for Kagome.

The miko was teetering on the very edge of the abyss. She hadn't been able to stop in time. She was frantically pinwheeling her arms to keep her balance. Her eyes were overflowing with panic, horror, and fear, fear that she would fall into the great chasm and be lost…

Inuyasha stopped short and let out a yell of alarm. Kagome, his Kagome, was at the very edge of the massive abyss, too far away for him to save her. Time seemed to stop, and memories flashed through his mind: times when he had badmouthed her, insulted her, put her down, hurt her feelings… times when he had yelled at her, cursed at her, lied to her face and told her she was just a worthless shard detector… all the times he had scorned her, all the times he was too afraid to say how he really felt…

It hit him then. He would never see her again.

The hanyou felt a terrible urge to leap into the abyss after her, even though he knew that he couldn't reach her in time. At least he would've tried… and at least he would have the sweet respite of death, rather than having to live without her… but Miroku seemed to see this, and he took Inuyasha by the arm to hold him back.

Inuyasha's eyes settled on Makoto, who was standing not ten feet from Kagome. He narrowed his eyes. Why wasn't the man doing anything? Why wasn't he moving to save Kagome? He was close enough, he could do it, _why wasn't he saving her?_

But Makoto didn't move. His feet seemed to be rooted to the ground, as though he was unable to move. Inuyasha yelled his name, trying to get him to move, but Makoto only stood still and stared at Kagome, who finally lost her balance and toppled out over the edge into the dark abyss.

This seemed to rouse Makoto from his reverie, and he leaped over the edge after her.

**X X X X X**

Falling. Dark, cold, icy wind rushing past her. She was falling. The walls of the abyss were far, far away, but every second it felt like they were closing in around her tighter. She gasped for breath as it was ripped away from her.

A single thought raced through her mind, the only coherent thought she could sustain: _I am going to die. _It would have been enough to make her sick to her stomach, if that organ hadn't dropped out soon after she'd fallen, like it did on roller coasters back home… _home… _she would never see her family again, or her friends, or Hojo, or Makoto, or… Inuyasha…

_He'll never know…_

Kagome squeezed her eyes shut and felt tears stream down her face, both from the icy cold air that made her eyes tear up and from the horrible idea that she would never see anyone again…

Suddenly a hand closed around her wrist. Kagome's eyes flew open in surprise, expecting to see a bright red haori and white hair and a pair of beautiful golden eyes. What she saw instead was the young, anxious face of the man she hadn't even known for more than a couple of months, a face that she had grown to love, almost more than she'd grown to love the hanyou's.

"Makoto," she whispered.

He pulled her closer to him and wrapped an arm around her waist to hold them together as they fell. They were gaining speed now that she had gained Makoto's weight, and they both knew that they would not survive if they hit the bottom of the cavern at this speed.

"We're going to die," she cried, looking into his eyes.

Makoto's grip on her tightened. "No," he said loudly, looking back at her. "I promise you, Kagome, I will not let us die."

Kagome opened her mouth to retort, but found that she couldn't. That was right… Makoto would look after her now. She wasn't going to die, she was going to live, and they were going to be fine. Her life was far from over.

"Hang onto me," Makoto said into her ear over the roar of rushing air.

Kagome gripped him tightly with both hands as he reached around her to unsheath one of his swords. She watched as he looked around at the walls, one of which they were precariously close to. The other was still some hundred or so feet away and closing fast.

Makoto drew his arm back and prepared to drive his sword into the wall to stop their rapid descent. Kagome hung onto him with all her might, and as she did so she noticed something strange. The sword appeared to be glowing with a strange black light. That light seemed oddly familiar somehow.

She forgot it as Makoto gritted his teeth and drove the sword straight at the wall.

They jerked to a stop with such a violent wrench that Kagome's hold on Makoto almost broke. His arm around her waist was the only thing that kept her from falling. She quickly reached up and wound both arms around his neck. He held her tightly and breathed a heavy sigh. Kagome buried her face in his chest and vaguely wondered why his arm wasn't broken from the sudden short stop. She looked up at it, as though to make sure it was all in one piece, and saw that his hand was white from gripping his sword hilt so tightly. Other than that, he was fine.

Kagome couldn't stop herself from smiling. They were alive. She wasn't going to die…

Makoto looked down at her and smiled wearily. She was so overjoyed at being alive that she leaned up and pressed a kiss to his lips. She vaguely felt him kiss her back before she pulled away and looked up at the lip of the abyss, which wasn't even visible from where they were.

"Um, Makoto?" she asked. "Not to ruin the moment, but… how are we going to get out of here?"

Makoto opened his mouth to answer, but he was cut off by another voice, loud and cold and menacing. "Oh, you won't be going anywhere, little miko," it hissed.

Kagome's eyes widened and she clutched Makoto tighter. "Naraku," she whispered.

"Kukukuku…"


	18. Kagome's Decision

**Disclaimer: **Same as always. Makoto's mine. Not yours, not Ramiko Takahashi's, not Kagome's, mine. All mine. Kukuku.

* * *

"Kukukuku…"

Makoto and Kagome clung to one another and stared around them into the darkness. The soft echo of Naraku's laugh rang in their ears, but they couldn't see him anywhere. Wherever he was, the tricky half-demon was hiding from them, and it was making Kagome uneasy.

"What do you want, Naraku?" she called tentatively, trying to sound braver than she felt.

"What do I want?" came the soft hissing voice from the shadows. "I want what I have always wanted, my dear miko. Your death, the death of your companions, and the Shikon jewel."

"You won't get any of that," Kagome shot back, glaring into the darkness. "I won't let you!"

"And how exactly are you going to stop me, little miko?" Makoto held her closer as the hidden voice chuckled in amusement. "Your words are brave, but your heart quivers in fear. You know that without your precious Inuyasha, and now this Makoto, you would be dead within a day. You are weak, and your heart is weak. The jewel will be mine."

"Not while I still stand to protect it," Makoto said boldly, holding Kagome tightly to him.

"You?" Naraku mocked. "You are hardly worth the energy I waste fighting you, pathetic human. You will fail and Kagome will be mine, along with all her shards. There is nothing you can do to stop it!"

Makoto's eyes widened as a wave of tentacles swept out at them. He kicked a few out of the way, but both his hands were occupied, and he couldn't stop the arm that lashed him across the face, drawing blood. His cry of pain rang in Kagome's ears and her eyes hardened. Naraku had already ruined her life and her friends' for long enough. It was time for her to fight back.

Her arrow streaked through the wave of tentacles, blasting them apart and causing the undamaged few to fall back momentarily. Makoto breathed a sigh of relief as everything fell silent.

From above them, Kagome heard someone shouting her name. She looked up and saw Kirara racing towards them, carrying Sango, Miroku, Shippo, and Inuyasha on her back. It was slow going; the cat didn't usually have to carry so much weight.

"Kagome! Makoto!" Shippo cried. "You're all right!"

"Nice going, Makoto!" Sango called out as they stopped beside their two friends. "Hang on, we'll get you down!"

"Be careful!" Kagome screamed, but her warning came too late. A tentacle had swept out of the darkness and hit Kirara across the side. The cat hissed in pain and lurched to one side. Without thinking, Miroku wound an arm around Sango's waist to hold her on. It wasn't until he heard her gasp softly that he remembered they were supposed to be mad at one another.

_This has gone too far, _he thought in annoyance. _The instant we get out of here, I'm apologizing to Sango. I should have done so long ago. It was my pride that made me act so rashly. I only hope she can forgive me. _

Kirara steadied herself again and turned to look at Kagome and Makoto. There was no way she could carry all that weight, and they all knew it.

"Hang on for just a minute," Sango called to them. "We'll land and Kirara will come back up to carry you down." She dodged a blow from Naraku and guided Kirara down to the bottom of the abyss, which was a good fifty feet below them. The instant her four passengers touched down on the ground, Kirara made her way back up to Kagome and Makoto.

The priestess sighed in relief as she settled down on the feline's back. She felt Makoto settle down behind her and smiled slightly to herself. A low growl from Inuyasha, who was watching from below, caused it to disappear again. She had forgotten about him for a moment. How would he react when he found out that Makoto and she had kissed?

As Kirara dove downward towards the others, Kagome submerged herself in thought. She was so confused. She wasn't sure which one of the two she loved. Makoto was sweet, kind, caring, and gentle, as well as charming. Inuyasha was crude, mean, insulting, and rough. It was obvious which one she should choose – this was a matter of common sense. Then again, her heart had never listened to her head, and it was torn between the two.

_Come on, Kagome, _she said to herself, trying to reason with her own heart. _Makoto's perfect, and he obviously likes you, or he wouldn't have kissed you. Just get over Inuyasha. He doesn't like you. He's never liked you. The one time he hugged you, he was only doing it to get the shards from you. _

Still, her heart refused to give in. However perfect Makoto was, Inuyasha still held a place there, and her heart refused to give him up. Kagome ground her teeth in frustration before yelping as a blow from Naraku sent her flying from Kirara's back.

She braced herself for a painful landing on the ground, but instead she felt herself land in strong, steady arms. She cracked her eyes open and blinked into beautiful, deep amber eyes.

"Inuyasha," she said dazedly, feeling her heart beat faster despite her every effort to suppress it.

"Well, well, well," Naraku hissed, withdrawing his tentacles for a moment as Inuyasha put Kagome down and Kirara landed beside him with Makoto. They still couldn't see their enemy, but his voice echoed all around them, and they knew he was there.

"Now that I have you all together," the dark hanyou continued, "allow me to make a proposition."

Inuyasha drew Tetsusaiga and glared into the darkness icily. "And what would that be?"

"You give me your shards," Naraku said in a calm voice, "and I will generously allow you to leave this place with your lives."

"We know you better than that, Naraku," Inuyasha said, spitting out the name in hatred. "You'd kill us the instant you got your grimy hands on those shards. There's no way we're handing them over."

"Then you will die."

"Yeah, that's what you say every time you fight us."

"Oh, believe me, Inuyasha," Naraku said with a chuckle, "this time my words are far from empty. This is the battle that will determine who will win the war. If you do not give up those shards now…" Naraku paused for a moment, allowing his words to sink in. "You will suffer. I promise you this. _You will suffer_."

Kagome couldn't stop the shudder that swept over her. Naraku's voice reverberated around the dark cavern and rang loudly in her ears – too loudly. She felt a prickling on her neck, a peculiar feeling in the back of her mind, and knew that Naraku's eyes were on her as he spoke.

That realization made her shrink back in horror. Having Naraku glare at her while repeating the words _you will suffer _was perhaps one of the scariest things she had ever gone through.

"Not a chance, Naraku," Inuyasha said firmly, raising Tetsusaiga.

Naraku's voice was indifferent, but Kagome thought that she could identify a slight hint of both amusement and mockery in the words. "As you wish."

A wave of tentacles emerged from the darkness, twisting and arching around the Tetsusaiga and beginning the battle. Inuyasha immediately went to work hacking them off. Sango and Miroku did the same, fighting alongside Kirara, and Makoto joined in the fight, making sure to stay in front of Kagome to protect her from any blows that may come her way. She clutched Shippo and hung back, eyes wide.

"You aren't even the real Naraku!" Inuyasha snarled as he landed on the ground, having just torn off most of the tentacles that had been attacking them with his Cutting Wind. "You're only a puppet!"

"Kukuku," came that irritatingly confident voice. "Right you are, for once, Inuyasha." The tentacles shifted, but did not attack again. "Never fear; the true Naraku is close by, waiting for his chance. He knows as well as I that today is the day you will die."

"Oh," Inuyasha sneered, "so Naraku is here, huh? Hiding out like the coward he is, letting his puppets do his dirty work for him? Isn't that just like the bastard."

Kagome smiled slightly to herself. Inuyasha never passed up a chance to insult Naraku, and here again he had taken full advantage of his chance. Still, he was right. The idea that Naraku was here, and not attacking, could only mean one thing: he was waiting for them to weaken before he showed his face. He _was _a coward.

She blinked as Makoto turned and looked at Inuyasha, lowering his swords slightly. Something flashed in his eyes, but she didn't know what it was.

But before she could consider it further, the puppet attacked again. Tentacles were hewn off left and right, but the puppet paid these losses no need. They could only destroy it if they struck it in the heart, and at the moment they couldn't even see the body, let alone seek out the heart. There were only these arms, groping around in the darkness, seeking targets to destroy.

Makoto defended Kagome with all his strength, but she could see that he was beginning to tire, as were the others. She was hanging onto her arrows – she knew that she would need them when the real Naraku showed himself, and that it wasn't worth wasting them on tentacles that would just replenish themselves anyway.

Inuyasha growled in frustration as tentacle after tentacle rose up to fight him. He couldn't find the source. He had no idea where the body of the puppet was. "Where the hell are you?" he shouted in frustration as he hacked off another arm, only to find two more behind him.

Sango's eyes hardened in agreement at his words. She was fighting with her sword now, having exhausted her strength by swinging around the heavy Hiraikotsu.

The exterminator's eyes widened in horror as her sword was suddenly seized in the grasp of two of the arms and wrenched from her grasp. She was left weaponless. One hand shot up to grasp her great boomerang, but she was too slow. The tentacles took full advantage of her weakness to shoot towards her, sharp ends ready to pierce her skin.

Miroku turned just in time to see Sango about to be torn to pieces. Instantly he turned his back on the tentacles all around him and sprinted towards her.

Sango blinked in surprise as the monk suddenly planted himself in front of her, staff in hand, arm raised to protect his face. One thought flashed across her mind – _he's protecting me_ – before her mind went blank with horror and shock as Miroku staggered back and slumped against her.

Seeing that Sango would be occupied with the monk, Kirara darted over and stood over them both to protect them from the puppet. As horrified and shocked as Sango was, she didn't even notice.

Slowly, Sango dropped to her knees and gathered the monk into her lap. His eyes were squeezed shut, and he appeared to be unconscious. His left arm was torn and bloody. She couldn't see past his robes, but she could tell he had numerous wounds on his chest and stomach, because his clothes were soaked with his blood.

Her heart wrenched painfully in her chest. This was her fault. Miroku could die from all this, and it would all be her fault. And, Sango realized with a sob, if he died now, he would never know…

Half blinded by tears, half deafened by the terrible cry that tore from her throat, Sango bent over the monk and buried her face in his chest. "Wake up, Miroku," she sobbed. "Please, please, wake up… I love you…" Her voice softened and she clutched his robes tightly. "I love you..."

Slowly, Miroku stirred, and Sango's heart lifted with joy. He cracked his eyes open and saw her leaning over him, face streaked with tears, eyes filled with worry. The sight was one that warmed his heart, and he smiled up at her faintly. To see his precious Sango so worried on his behalf was enough to make him feel a hundred times better already.

"Sango," he murmured, and saw her begin to sob again, this time in relief.

"Well, isn't that sweet," Naraku said sarcastically, and Sango's head shot up as she scanned the dark room. The puppet was still nowhere to be found. Inuyasha was standing over a mound of dead tentacles, breathing heavily. Kagome was still behind Makoto, who was protecting her. She met Sango's eyes and the two exchanged a slight smile.

Despite the fact that they were in the middle of a fight with Naraku and that there was a pretty good chance of them all dying down here, Kagome found herself bubbling over with happiness. Finally, _finally_, Sango and Miroku had received a chance to make up, and Kagome could think of no sweeter way than what she now saw before her. Her happiness for both of them and her relief that Miroku was still alive could almost drown out her fear and panic, but the latter rose once again as Naraku's voice rang out around them.

"And so the monk and the exterminator finally get over their stupidity and realize that they love one another," the dark hanyou continued, sounding disgusted. "How touching."

Kagome had a strange impulse to laugh. Even _Naraku _had been able to see that Miroku and Sango loved each other. Inuyasha, on the other hand, had never been able to understand when she tried to point it out to him. She remembered all the times she and Shippo and Inuyasha had spied on the other two, all the times she had tried to explain their love to Inuyasha, all the times he had looked at her strangely and not understood. She missed those times. She missed the times when she could just talk to him and have him talk back, smile and have him smile back…

"And now they get to die alongside one another," Naraku continued, sounding amused. "How very appropriate. But first…" He turned his attention to Kagome. "First I will have my shards."

"No," Kagome hissed, backing away. She clutched both Shippo and her piece of the jewel as tightly as she could.

"It is useless to resist," Naraku chuckled, and the tentacles shifted slightly, as though restless. "I will have them, whether I have to kill you in the process or not, little miko. You may as well simply give them to me now and save all the trouble."

"No," Kagome repeated, hoping that she sounded braver than she felt. She felt Shippo shaking in her arms and held him to her protectively. Her other hand let go of the jewel, which hung around her neck, and reached for an arrow to notch on her bow.

"Kukuku… Always courageous, even when you know there is no hope…"

Kagome raised her bow. "There is hope," she said fiercely, trying to figure out where the voice was coming from so she could shoot. She had too few arrows to just shoot them off and hope she hit what she was trying for. She needed to know where to aim…

It was useless. The voice echoed and confused her. She lowered the bow slightly in despair.

"You do not even know where I am," Naraku said, as though he had sensed her thoughts. "You cannot defend the shards, miko. You will die, and they will be mine. You know this. You cannot protect them. You cannot even protect yourself. You are weak."

Kagome's eyes hardened with hatred, but at the same time they filled with tears. Naraku was right, and she knew it. Once she ran out of arrows – which she was sure to do if he kept attacking her long enough – she would be powerless to stop him. She didn't have enough control over her miko powers to use them without even being able to see the puppet's body. It _was _hopeless, as much as she tried to deny it with all her heart.

Makoto looked up at her, and she saw in his eyes that he, too, had seen the truth behind Naraku's words. The others could only protect her for so long, and then she would have to protect herself until she ran out of arrows. After that… it was a lost cause. She looked around at Inuyasha and saw the same look in his eyes.

All at once, Kagome made up her mind. She knew she wouldn't be able to protect the jewel herself – not against Naraku, not now. This was only a _puppet_. What would happen when the true Naraku showed himself? She knew he could overpower her and take the jewel. She was too weak.

But that didn't mean all hope was lost.

"Take it, Inuyasha," she said firmly, looking him straight in the eye.

The hanyou blinked in shock from where he stood beside Makoto. "What?"

"I can't protect it," she said, unclipping it and holding it out towards him. "You can, you're the strongest one here. Take it." Kagome added a note of desperation to her voice. "Please."

Inuyasha stood there, stunned. She was right; he was the strongest one among them. Still, she knew how much he had always wanted the jewel. He had never let her forget it. He had even tried to kill her for it the first time they met. And now she was just _giving _him her piece?

She trusted him that much?

"Take it, Inuyasha!" Kagome yelled, bringing him back to his senses. Inuyasha leaped towards her, praising her quick thinking. She was right – he was much more likely to succeed in protecting it from Naraku than she was. This was their best chance.

Inuyasha yelped in surprise as a bunch of tentacles suddenly blocked his way, holding him back and seizing his legs and arms to keep him still. He set to work cutting them apart with Tetsusaiga, but he knew it would take a while, and he wouldn't be able to reach Kagome.

"No!" Kagome shouted, eyes wide.

Inuyasha sliced off another tentacle, but Naraku seemed determined to block his path. He couldn't get by. _There goes that idea, _he thought bitterly. _Miroku's wounded. He's half dead. Sango can't do it, she's got to protect the monk. Shippo… _At this, Inuyasha actually snorted aloud. _Yeah, right. _

Then his eyes settled upon the last person in their group.

"Kagome," he yelled, "give it to Makoto!"

Immediately the tentacles turned towards Makoto, whose eyes widened at the sudden danger. He was jerked into action as Inuyasha shouted his name again. Quickly, he ducked down, striking out, and managed to avoid the worst of the attack. He made it to Kagome's side, though he was breathless.

Kagome considered him for an instant. He was strong, there was no denying it. He was one of her greatest friends. She might even love him; she wasn't sure. But she hadn't known him as long as she had Inuyasha. She trusted him, yes, but how much? Enough…?

As Naraku's voice echoed around the clearing, a cry of hatred and contempt and fury, she made up her mind. _Please, let me be doing the right thing, _she thought desperately, and thrust the jewel at Makoto.


	19. Who is Makoto?

**Disclaimer: **Makoto's mine. After this chapter, nobody will want him, I promise. Read and see.

* * *

Makoto stared at the jewel Kagome was holding out to him. In his mind, the Shikon Jewel represented three things: power, danger, and freedom, the freedom to become whatever the bearer wished and do whatever they wanted. It was truly a strange artifact, one that he had mixed feelings about.

Undoubtedly, there were people who would use its power to do good.

Just as undoubtedly, there were others who would use it to do terrible things.

There was no doubt in his mind which of the two he was.

Makoto reached out and took the jewel from Kagome. His eyes were hardened and his jaw set with determination. The small little piece glinted as he took it, and he paused, as though expecting it to reject him. When it didn't, he drew it towards him and looked at it closely.

Kagome swallowed nervously. Now Makoto had the jewel. It was no longer her responsibility, but his. And yet… and yet he didn't seem to care for Naraku anymore. He had eyes only for the jewel, which he was examining with a look in his eyes that she couldn't place. It was something between awe and exasperation.

"Makoto?" she said hesitantly.

Suddenly she noticed something strange – Naraku had stopped attacking. Inuyasha stood in the midst of a forest of tentacles, but none of them were moving to hurt him as they had been a moment ago. None of the tentacles anywhere in the clearing were attacking any of them. Kirara was still bent over Sango, who was bent over Miroku. All three were looking between Kagome and Makoto in confusion. Inuyasha was frozen, just like the arms around him, and looked confused. Shippo was perched on Kagome's shoulder. The kit was starting to get a bad feeling.

"Why… isn't Naraku… attacking?" Kagome said slowly.

No one answered. Silence reigned again. And then, to her horror, a laugh cut through the silence. It was the all-too-familiar _kukuku _of Naraku. The sound echoed around them, filling their minds, invading their thoughts, tearing apart every last shred of hope they still retained.

Kagome turned her eyes back to Makoto, who hadn't moved or showed any change of expression at the terrible sound. He still stood there in silence, contemplating the small, glittering thing in his palm.

As Naraku's laughter faded, leaving behind a sense of hopelessness and despair that sought out the darkest parts of their hearts and filled them with even darker thoughts, another laughter rose in its place – a laughter that was even worse than the first. It was a laughter that chilled each of them to their very core and made them quiver in fear. It was a laughter so dark, so evil, so malicious and cruel, that even Inuyasha felt that his will to fight had left him.

The laughter came from Makoto.

The look in his eyes was almost as terrifying as his laugh. His wonderful, kind, sweet composure was gone in an instant. In its place was one of greed, triumph, and malevolence. He was still looking at the jewel, and his laughter seemed to curl around him like a fog.

Kagome stumbled backwards, eyes wide. "No," she said, shaking her head slowly. "No. No, no, no. Makoto, please, what's going on? Stop laughing…"

To their surprise, Makoto did as she asked and the laughter quieted. He raised his eyes from the jewel and fixed them on her.

"Makoto," Kagome said shakily, "what's going on?"

"You really don't know, do you?" the young man said shortly, raising an eyebrow. His voice was different from the voice they were used to. Already, little things about him were changing – or maybe it was just that they hadn't noticed them until now.

"Know what?" Kagome asked, incredibly afraid of the answer she would receive.

Makoto slowly shook his head at her and smirked. "You naïve, sweet little miko. You really had no idea. You still don't. Come on." He cocked his head, rolling the jewel between his fingers. "You must realize by now. You cannot truly be _that _naïve."

Kagome could not speak. Slowly, she found her voice again. "You're with _him._"

"And by _him _you mean Naraku?"

Slowly, Kagome nodded.

With another short laugh, Makoto flipped the jewel up into the air and caught it again. "I am insulted, my dear Kagome. You are getting closer, I will give you that much, but you are still far from the truth. Look at me." He spread his arms wide, still clutching the jewel, and his smirk widened. "Look at me now; not as Makoto, the man who befriended you all and gained your trust, however worthless it was."

Sango stared at him and a tear streaked down her face. She felt Miroku grip her hand tightly and was struck by a flash of gratefulness that he was there with her, now, when everything else was going wrong.

Makoto continued without sparing her a glance. "Look at me, not as Makoto, the man who gained the love of both you and your friend the demon slayer."

Inuyasha and Miroku both ground their teeth. Like it or not, both the girls had felt something for the man when he first appeared, and he had gained their love, at some level, whether it lasted or not. Though, more likely than no, he had lost it by now.

Still, Makoto ignored the guys and concentrated all his attention on Kagome. "Look at me, not as Makoto, the man you kissed."

Everyone's ears perked up at this. Miroku and Sango exchanged a shocked look. Shippo glanced at Kagome, surprised and slightly scared by this new information. Inuyasha… Inuyasha looked shaken, furious, and miserable all at the same time. He was gripping Tetsusaiga so hard that knuckles turned white, and then red. His glare was leveled on Makoto, and the power behind it was almost as great as that which had been in the other man's laugh.

Kagome took a step away from Makoto. He ignored this and continued to speak. "Look at me as I am now, and tell me that you still think I am working with Naraku."

The miko's eyes were wide and she seemed to understand what he meant, but she said nothing.

Makoto narrowed his eyes. "No, I am not. I am too great a man to be working for anyone else. I need no one to tell me what to do. I am on my own; I have always been on my own. Independent, unlike you, the innocent, weak little miko who always hides behind her precious friends."

"If you aren't working with Naraku," Kagome said quietly, "then… who are you?"

Makoto drew himself up and looked down his nose at her. He rolled the jewel between his fingers again and glanced at it lazily before returning his gaze to her eyes.

Kagome held her breath. She had no idea who the man in front of her was, or why he had worked so hard to befriend them only to betray them now, or why he had seduced her the way that he had. She didn't know what was going to happen now that he had turned on them. She didn't know who he was.

She wasn't sure she wanted to find out.

Inuyasha had long since turned from Makoto. He was watching Kagome, trying to read her face as the emotions flickered across it. He knew she had feelings for Makoto, and that she had kissed him. She hadn't denied it, at least. He didn't know whether she loved him. He hoped with all his heart that she didn't.

Miroku and Sango were stunned. Neither of them could have spoken if they wanted to. Miroku was hardly able to stay awake through the pain. Were it not for Sango gripping his hand with such strength, he knew he would have slipped away long ago. She was his only grip on life. He vaguely felt some pity for Kagome, for the situation she was in, and hatred for Makoto, but beyond that, all he had room for in his heart was pain and confusion.

Sango gripped Miroku's hand tighter and watched, horrified into silence, as Makoto slowly approached her friend. Her eyes were wide and her mouth was open slightly as she sat there by Miroku's side and watched the little drama unfold.

Slowly, without taking his eyes away from Kagome's face, Makoto smiled.

"I _am _Naraku."


	20. The End

Sorry about having it on hold for so long. I just lost inspiration. Now I've started a new story, Phantom of the Fox, and I'm re-inspired again! Yay!

* * *

There was complete silence for an instant. Everyone was too shocked to speak.

"You fools," Makoto laughed evilly, turning his back to Kagome and striding calmly towards Naraku. "You poor, pathetic, predictable fools."

"No," Kagome whispered, horror rising in her.

He moved to stand at Naraku's side and smirked at her. "Oh, but it's true, little miko. You fell in love with Naraku. You kissed Naraku. Worst of all, you trusted Naraku. And all the while, you were deceived." His laughter cut her heart mercilessly. "And now that you know the truth… well, it's about time I got rid of you."

"But… how?" Sango asked fearfully, trying to bide their time. "How can you be Naraku?"

"All the times you've fought me, dear Sango," Makoto said in amusement, "and you still forget how easily I change forms. It was no great feat to change my scent, too, so that your pitiful inu-hanyou would not recognize me. I would change back now, to prove to you that I really am your greatest enemy, but I think it would be more fun to destroy you in the form of someone you trusted."

"You monster," Kagome ground out through her tears.

"How could you?" Shippo cried.

Makoto's eyes glinted evilly. "Need you ask, kitsune? You should know that I have no heart, no conscience. Seeing you in pain is bliss to me, after all, and this is as pained as I have ever seen you."

Kagome suddenly had an arrow on her bowstring. "We can still beat you," she said, but her voice was shaky.

Makoto laughed aloud. "I would love to see you try."

Sango got to her feet, still a little surprised and caught off guard by the whole thing. She held Hiraikotsu tightly in her hand and stood over Miroku, assuming a defensive stance. "You won't destroy us," she said firmly. _Not after I've found love. I won't give that up for anything. I love Miroku. I won't let him die out here. Not here. Not now. We are going to win._

"And how exactly are you going to stop me?" Makoto said with a dark smile. "I have more power than all of you together, and I have a puppet alongside me. You have not the power, nor the courage, nor the will to defeat me, and somewhere deep in the dark corners of your hearts, you know it."

Kagome bit her lip, knowing that Naraku was right and that he knew he was right. There was no point in arguing with his logic, when you looked at things from his point of view.

Suddenly her eyes caught movement behind Naraku. A flash of red and white.

Determination flooded her. She raised her defiant eyes to Naraku. Arguing wouldn't help her prove the evil hanyou wrong, but it would gain enough time for the good hanyou to make a difference.

"You're wrong," she said firmly.

Miroku and Sango glanced up at her in surprise.

"You're wrong, Naraku," Kagome continued, continuing to aim her arrow right at his heart. "We will beat you, no matter what you say. You can't kill us. We're bound by love."

"I broke those boundaries the day I became loved in your hearts," Makoto snarled. "Even if you strove to remake them, I would break them down again. Love cannot save you, little miko. My world, my darkness, my pure, untainted evil will conquer your pitiful little souls, and soon your world will be reduced to nothingness, the way things always should have been―"

He had monologued for long enough to give Inuyasha his chance. While the hanyou was busy with telling off Kagome, Inuyasha had snuck around him unseen.

The next thing Makoto knew, the famous cry of "Wind Scar!" was ringing in his ears, and his puppet was torn to shreds. He spun around, cursing darkly, and put up a barrier, but he had been taken by surprise, and that was his undoing. Inuyasha's Red Tetsusaiga was able to tear through the hastily-raised wall of energy, and Makoto stumbled back, stunned by the sudden burst of energy.

"You'll pay for what you did to Kagome, scum!" Inuyasha yelled furiously, raising Tetsusaiga for another strike.

Makoto immediately started to fight back. Tentacles grew from around him and shot at Inuyasha.

Hiraikotsu came up from behind him and struck his back, sending him stumbling. He turned to face the demon-slayer, but was struck by a rock that Shippo had thrown at him from the other end of the cave, laced with foxfire. He turned to face Shippo, but was attacked yet again by Inuyasha.

For the first time, they had managed to actually confuse Naraku.

Sango caught Hiraikotsu and exchanged a triumphant look with Miroku. This was looking up.

Makoto shouted in frustration and lashed out powerfully. He struck Shippo with a tentacle, sending the little kitsune flying. Another group of tentacles caught Sango's Hiraikotsu and threw it to one side, at the same time knocking her to the ground. Miroku tried to catch her, but she still hit her head on the stone floor and was unable to get back up again. She lay against the monk, groaning, and watched the rest of the fight.

Inuyasha had fought harder than she and Shippo, but he, too, had been fought back. Makoto started to regain his confidence. They had attacked and weakened him when he was unawares, but now he had the control, he had the power once again―

Kagome's arrow was an even greater surprise than any of the other attacks. It shot straight through his back and pierced his heart perfectly.

Kagome's anger, despair, and hatred made her a perfect shot.

Makoto's body shuddered under the purifying force of her arrow. He jerked forward, and the jewel fell from his hand and rolled across the floor. He slowly fell to his knees, eyes wide in disbelief, and turned to stare unblinkingly at Kagome.

"If there's one thing that's weak about you, Naraku," Kagome said, wrinkling her nose and looking down at him, "it's your pride. You gave us the element of surprise when you started to brag and boast."

Makoto stared at her. He opened his mouth slightly, to speak or scream or curse or whatever, but no sound came out.

Kagome looked down and picked up the jewel that had rolled to her feet. She held it gently and examined it. It was a shade of the purest pink, a beautiful little round orb that held unspeakable power and yet rested so peacefully in her palm. She could see, for an instant, why Naraku would want it, why he would go to so much trouble to get it…

"It's finished," she said.

Inuyasha landed at her side and looked into her eyes. They didn't have to speak. They knew that they were forgiven. He gently put a hand on her shoulder and smiled. She smiled back.

Sango and Miroku got unsteadily to their feet, unable to hold back smiles of their own.

And as Makoto – Naraku – fell to the floor and passed out of that world, the story – the wonderful tale that had become a legend throughout Japan, both in that time and in the future – finally came to an end.

And, of course, all of them lived happily ever after.


End file.
